ECtHR awards compensation to Ingush activist Zarifa Sautieva

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found that the Russian authorities violated the article on the prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment in relation to Ingush activist Zarifa Sautieva. The activist was awarded 1000 euros in compensation, although Russia does not consider itself obligated to comply with the decisions of the European Court.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that after a rally in Magas, the participants of which spoke out against the border agreement with Chechnya, Ingush activists were accused of creating an extremist community and participating in it. In December 2021, a court sentenced Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov, and Malsag Uzhakhov to nine years, Ismail Nalgiev, Bagaudin Khautiev, and Barakh Chemurziev – to eight years, and Zarifa Sautieva – to 7.5 years of imprisonment.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) also found it proven that law enforcers mistreated Zarifa Sautieva, the “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence* reported in its Telegram channel.

*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of “inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces.”