Defendants in Ingushetia protest case denied challenge of judges and appointed lawyers

The Stavropol Regional Court has refused to challenge the defendants in the case of protests in Ingushetia for judges in the case and appointed lawyers, the Memorial Human Rights Defense Center reported.

The court considered an appeal in the case of Ingush opposition leaders Malsag Uzhakhov, Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov, Barakh Chemurziev, Bagaudin Khautiev, Ismail Nalgiyev and Zarifa Sautieva, whom the investigation believes to be the organizers of clashes with security forces that occurred during protests in Magas in 2019.

The lawsuit to remove the judges was filed by the defendants' defense, and was supported by all lawyers, including the appointed lawyers. According to the defense, the judges secretly communicated with the prosecutors outside the hearing. On April 10, lawyer Bashir Tochiyev petitioned for the provision of video recordings from the building's video cameras to prove his words about the conspiracy, but received no response.

The defendants also asked for the removal of their court-appointed attorneys on the grounds that their presence in the trial was unlawful. The court-appointed attorneys granted the motion, noting, "How can attorneys whom the defendants refuse to speak to defend these defendants?" However, the court also denied this motion.

Bekov's lawyer also requested the removal of the presiding judge. The judge also rejected this motion.

In December 2021, the Kislovodsk City Court sentenced Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov and Malsag Uzhakhov to nine years in prison, Ismail Nalgiev, Bagaudin Khautiev and Barukh Chemurziev to eight years, and Zarif Sautiyev to seven years and six months in a general regime colony. These are exactly the terms the prosecutor's office gave the accused.

sentenced requested In addition to the above terms, Barakhoev, Malsagov and Uzhakhov were sentenced to one and a half years of restricted freedom and a ban on holding positions in public organizations for five years; Nalgiyev, Khautiev and Chemurziev were sentenced to restricted freedom for six months with a ban on holding positions in public organizations for three to four years; Zarifa Sautieva was sentenced to restricted freedom for seven months and a ban on holding positions in public organizations for three years.

The leaders of the protest in Ingushetia were found guilty under the article on organizing life-threatening violence against police officers (Part 2 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code with the application of Part 3 of Article 33 of the Criminal Code). In addition, Barakhoev, Uzhakhov and Malsagov were charged with organizing the activities of an extremist community (Part 1 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code), and the rest were charged with participating in it (Part 2 of Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code).

Barakhoev and Uzhakhov were also found guilty of involvement in a non-profit organization that infringes on the personality and rights of citizens (Article 239 of the Criminal Code). Barakhoev was also previously accused of failing to notify about the presence of a second citizenship (Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code), but this charge was dropped due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

The Memorial Human Rights Center considers the defendants in the “Ingush case” to be political prisoners.

admitted Initially, the news incorrectly indicated the court hearing the case. We apologize for the error. - 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 out to a rally in Magas. About two thousand protesters remained in the square all night. In the morning, they began to disperse, resulting in clashes between security forces and protesters. occurred - According to the Memorial Human Rights Center, as of October 11, 2021, 52 people were brought to criminal responsibility in connection with the 2019 rally in Magas , and prosecution was dropped for three of them. More than 37 defendants in the "Ingush case" were sentenced to terms ranging from five to nine months.