21:08, 16 November 2023

Defence of activist Cheldiev files complaint with ECtHR

Vadim Cheldiev. Screenshot of the video Ossetia News - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmZPv8lnkTw

The criminal prosecution of Vadim Cheldiev, convicted in the case of an anti-Covid rally in Vladikavkaz, has violated his rights to the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly, his defence has claimed in a complaint sent to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 19, 2022, the Rostov Regional Court sentenced Cheldiev to 10 years in penal colony after finding him guilty of calls for extremism. Two other defendants, Arsen Besolov and Ramis Chirkinov, were sentenced to eight years in jail each.

Investigators have declared Cheldiev to be the initiator of the rally of opponents of the self-isolation regime. The prosecution failed to prove that Cheldiev, Besolov and Chirkinov were organizers of riots, their advocate, Batraz Kulchiev, an advocate, has stated. The human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" recognized all the three convicts as political prisoners.

Bringing Cheldiev to criminal liability for calling for a peaceful rally "is excessive in a democratic society," the defence has pointed out.

Let us remind you that, according to the indictment, Cheldiev, by abusing his authority of an opera singer and oppositional blogger, posted a video calling for a rally in Vladikavkaz and "to drive to hell the government and private companies that were terrorizing people." This appeal was treated by investigators as a call for unrest and for extremism.

On April 20, 2020, law enforcer dispersed a rally of opponents of the self-isolation regime away from Freedom Square in Vladikavkaz; the protesters demanded the resignation of the government, parliament and the head of North Ossetia. According to investigators, 13 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard) received traumas at the spontaneous rally.

Cheldiev claimed that law enforcers began persecuting him long before his detention in 2020, trying to interfere with the charitable activities of the "Iron Ziu" movement. He also reported that he left North Ossetia after learning about plans to plant drugs on him.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 15, 2023 at 10:25 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: СK correspondent