Rights defenders announce Zakhar Zaripov, resident of Khabarovsk Territory as a political prisoner

Zakhar Zaripov, a resident of the Khabarovsk Territory, has posted on the Internet a text addressed to the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, which poses no public danger, the "Memorial" Support for Political Prisoners human rights project has stated, indicating that Zaripov was arrested for political reasons.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 27 it became known that Zakhar Zaripov had been arrested on charges of calls to terrorism. Investigators believe that addressing the head of Chechnya in the "LiveJournal", Zaripov had called to violate the Russia's territorial integrity.

"The text was addressed personally to Kadyrov, who, even if he had read Zaripov's 'prompt', would hardly have been guided by it when making decisions," the "Memorial" project has noted in its Telegram channel.

Zaripov's post is in fact a rhetorical reproach to Kadyrov for sending his fellow countrymen to participate in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, says the project.

"We believe that there is no corpus delicti in Zaripov's actions; and the case against him was fabricated for political reasons as a tool to intimidate critics of Russian authorities," the human rights defenders have added.

Zaripov is an activist who took part in the protests held in the Khabarovsk Territory.