Ingush protest leaders' arrest extended for two months

The Fifth Cassation Court extended the arrest of Ingush protest leaders Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov, Ismail Nalgiev, Zarifa Sautieva, Malsag Uzhakhov, Bagaudin Khautiev and Barakh Chemurziev for two months. This was reported by the Human Rights Center "Memorial".

I accuse the activists of organizing violence against government officials (part 3 of article 33, part 2 of article 318 of the Criminal Code) at a rally in Magas in March 2019, as well as organizing and participating in an extremist community (article 282.1 of the Criminal Code).

UPD In addition, on August 28, the judge of the Fifth Court of Cassation in Pyatigorsk, Mikhail Chekmarev, granted the request of the Prosecutor General's Office to change the jurisdiction of the criminal case against the seven leaders of the Ingush protest. The prosecutor's office asked to transfer the case to one of the courts of Stavropol under the pretext that, according to a certificate from the Ingush FSB, protest leaders in Ingushetia, thanks to their "extensive, including family and teip ties in the judicial system of the republic," supposedly can influence local judges. The defense drew attention to the fact that these arguments are not supported by anything, in Ingushetia there are independent judges outside the "teip ties". In addition, the prosecutor's application was filed in violation of the law, since it had to be submitted through a lower court - the Magas District Court, and not directly to the cassation court. The lawyers also noted that the transfer of the case to another region would violate the principle of access to legal proceedings, the process would be delayed.

• In September 2018, the authorities of Ingushetia and Chechnya signed an agreement to change the border between the republics, after which protests began in Ingushetia. On March 26, 2019, about 10 thousand people came to the rally in Magas. About two thousand protesters remained on the square all night. In the morning they began to be dispersed, as a result of which clashes broke out between the security forces and the protesters .
• According to the Human Rights Center Memorial, as of March 27, 2020, 41 people were prosecuted in the case of the Ingush protests in March 2019 in Magas. More than 20 of them have already been convicted by the court under the article on the use of non-life-threatening violence against a police officer (part 1 of article 318 of the Criminal Code).