Human rights defenders called for an investigation into reports of mass falsification of terrorism cases in Kabardino-Balkaria.

More than 100 residents of Kabardino-Balkaria signed an open letter to representatives of the federal authorities, stating that cases accusing them of intending to join "Imarat Kavkaz"*, the use of torture and pressure, and demanding an investigation into the actions of law enforcement. [........] Kabardino-Balkaria supported these demands in an appeal to the head of the republic, Kazbek Kokov.

[........] Kabardino-Balkaria today appealed to the head of the republic, Kazbek Kokov, and sent him a copy of the collective appeal from residents regarding the falsification of criminal cases of extremist and terrorist nature. The appeal states that, according to reports from residents, law enforcement selects citizens mainly based on religious criteria and uses technical means to falsify evidence.

One or two secret witnesses are used in each case, whose testimonies in different cases are almost identical, lack specifics, and appear to be prepared by the prosecution authorities.

"In particular, during searches, as claimed by the detainees and their relatives, mobile phones with the Telegram application are planted, containing pre-created conversations about an alleged intention to join the terrorist organization "Imarat Kavkaz*". Based on this, the detainees are taken away, subjected to pressure to obtain self-incrimination and incrimination of others. One or two secret witnesses are used in each case, whose testimonies in different cases are almost identical, lack specifics, and appear to be prepared by the prosecution authorities," noted human rights defenders.

They indicated that over the past two years, about a hundred people have been prosecuted on similar cases, where the main evidence consists of "planted" phones with identical conversations in Telegram.

"The republican law enforcement agencies and supervisory authorities do not check the origin of the phones, do not appoint examinations of digital traces, do not establish the authorship of the correspondence, and do not verify the detainees' testimonies about the planting. The prosecution is mainly based on preparation or attempt, in the absence of actually committed crimes. There are also reports of pressure on the relatives of the accused, or threats of initiating new criminal cases, to coerce self-incrimination and incrimination of other detainees, to falsify evidence of the accusation."

Human rights defenders called for an investigation into the information presented in the collective statement. In particular, to create an independent interdepartmental commission with the participation of representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of the KBR, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the KBR, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the KBR, excluding representatives of the agencies against whose actions the authors of the collective appeal complain. They also called for an investigation into the legality of searches, detentions, arrests, and the use of procedural coercion, as well as torture, violence, and threats against detainees, and to appoint forensic medical examinations if necessary. To check the facts of pressure on the relatives of the accused and threats of initiating new criminal cases.

An open letter addressed to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the heads of federal law enforcement agencies, the Supreme Court, the commissioners for human rights in the Russian Federation and in Kabardino-Balkaria, representatives of the media, public and human rights organizations, and the regional branch of the "Yabloko" party, in which they assert that over the past two years, employees of the republican FSB, having falsified evidence, have brought more than a hundred people to criminal responsibility on charges of involvement in the "Imarat Kavkaz"* group, was signed by 114 residents of Kabardino-Balkaria.

They do not even try to make these fabrications plausible, being confident in their impunity and that the courts will legitimize their criminal actions and issue guilty verdicts in these cases.

The authors demanded that the federal authorities check the actions of law enforcement.

"They do not even try to make these fabrications plausible, being confident in their impunity and that the courts will legitimize their criminal actions and issue guilty verdicts in these cases, as is generally the case in similar cases. But we believe and hope that the law and justice must prevail and this lawlessness must end. Based on the above, to restore legality and justice, we ask you to create an independent commission and conduct a thorough investigation into all the criminal cases indicated in the appendix," the document states, which was published by Kabardino-Balkaria [........] on September 29.

"The Caucasian Knot" in particular reported that the charges against the developer from Kabardino-Balkaria, Andzor Khalilov, arrested after being deported to Russia from the UAE, are based on the testimony of a witness, Kardanov, whom the accused himself calls fictional. Another figure in the case of collecting money for "Imarat Kavkaz"* also denies the charges.

* The organization is recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia.

** The activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.