The prosecutor's office of Kabardino-Balkaria returned the case of Circassian activist Kochesoko to investigators

The prosecutor's office of Kabardino-Balkaria returned for further investigation the case of the head of the Circassian public organization "Khabze" Martin Kochesoko, who is accused of drug trafficking. This was reported by MBKh Media with reference to lawyer Timur Khutov.

The case was returned to the investigative department of the police in the Leskensky district of Kabardino-Balkaria.

“In our opinion, no procedural assessment was given to the testimony of defense witnesses. The investigator unmotivatedly refused to petitions from the side of the defense. In our opinion, the prosecutor's office focused on this, ”the publication quotes Khutov’s comment.

Kochesoko is accused of purchasing and storing 263 grams of marijuana (part 2 of article 228 of the Criminal Code). According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, on June 7, employees of the Center for Combating Extremism stopped the car of a public figure in Nalchik and found packets of drugs in the car. It was reported that the examination revealed traces of Kochesoko's hands on the bags, and traces of substances on the swabs from the hands.

He was detained on June 8, and he spent two weeks in a pre-trial detention center. Later, his preventive measure was changed to house arrest.

March 2, 2020 9:15 a.m. Kochesoko was charged with a new charge, the "Caucasian Knot" reports , citing Timur Khutov, the defendant's lawyer.

According to him, the new charge "is no different from the previous one." At the same time, the witnesses who participated in the seizure of drugs from Kochesoko were sent for a psychiatric examination.

“The witnesses were sent for examination to establish their sanity after it turned out that they were registered in a psycho-neurological dispensary,” Khutov said in a conversation with the Caucasian Knot.

• Colleagues and friends of Kochesoko are convinced that the criminal case is connected with the social activities of the accused. Three weeks before his arrest, he held a round table in Nalchik on the problems of federalism in Russia. At it, Kochesoko advocated the preservation of the Circassian identity and sharply criticized the federal authorities. The next day, an official, whose name was not released, came to the relatives of the social activist and advised him to reduce civic activity.
• On the day of Kochesoko's detention, security officials interrogated other Khabze activists. In particular, the detainees were asked if they were involved in "foreign agents" and what the essence of the Democratic Congress of the Peoples of Russia was.
• The Circassian public organization "Khabze" stands for the preservation of the Circassian identity, the study of the native language and life according to Khabze. This is the Circassian ethical and philosophical system that regulates the moral principles and behavior of its followers. For example, Khabze demands honesty, integrity, sensitivity, respect for elders and people of the opposite sex from people.