23:34, 30 April 2023

Ingush activist Barakh Chemurziev points to absence of proofs of his guilt in the verdict

Barakh Chemurziev. Photo: screenshot of the video by the Council of Teips (family clans) of Ingushetia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fr6C2Gaa4w

The accusation of involvement in an extremist community is not supported by proofs; and the sentence is based on the assumptions that contradict witnesses' testimonies and experts' conclusions, Barakh Chemurziev, an Ingush activist, who was sentenced to eight years in prison, has stated. His advocates have also pointed to the violations committed by the court.

Since January 13, a trial is underway in the Stavropol Territory on the complaints against the verdicts to seven leaders of the protest rally that was held in Magas. They were accused of creating an extremist community; in December 2021, the court sentenced Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov and Malsag Uzhakhov to nine years in prison each; Ismail Nalgiev, Bagaudin Khautiev and Barakh Chemurziev – to eight years each; and Zarifa Sautieva – to 7.5 years in prison. Meanwhile, their defence and the activists themselves assert that at the above rally, on the contrary, they called the crowd to refrain from mass riots.

At the trial, Barakh Chemurziev has pointed out that the verdict contained no circumstances of the crime, in committing which he was found guilty. According to his story, there are no proofs that he had joined an extremist community. This statement is unfounded; and the verdict "is based solely on speculations," he has stressed.

Besides, not a single prosecution witness said that Chemurziev was a member of an extremist community or called for violence.

Kaloi Akhilgov, an advocate, has also pointed out that in the verdict the court repeatedly assessed the convicts' actions as illegal, but failed to specify which law had been violated.

According to the advocate, the proofs available in the case files, including the video and audio ones, confirming the defence's version, were ignored by the court.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 29, 2023 at 07:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: СK correspondent