Defenders of Institute for Humanitarian Research in Kabardino-Balkaria report pressure

Human rights defenders and activists who came out in support of the Institute for Humanitarian Research in Kabardino-Balkaria after searches at scientists’ houses have been summoned by the police to write explanation letters about the alleged dissemination of slander. That was stated by the Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Human Rights Centre.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in November 2022, human rights defenders in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) called on Kazbek Kokov, the leader of the republic, to prevent the persecution of scientists from the Institute for Humanitarian Research of the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), who are trying to defend the native languages of the peoples of Northern Caucasus.

The human rights defenders have been alarmed by the searches conducted by the police at houses of several institute employees. According to the human rights defenders, there is a campaign against the scientists being launched on the social media. “It is obvious to us that these illegal actions are aimed at closing the oldest national institute under any pretext,” stated the human rights defenders.

According to the authors of the appeal, the law enforcers were unable to present any justified claims to the scientists from the Institute for Humanitarian Research.

The appeal was signed by, among others, Marx Shakhmurzov, the head of the Kabardino-Balkarian branch of the Association of Victims of Political Repression, and human rights defender Olga Begretova-Efendieva.