On October 29, the Supreme Court of Dagestan approved the sentence of the former coordinator of Navalny’s Dagestan headquarters, Eduard Ataev, reports the Memorial Human Rights Protection Center.
In the appeal, Atayev and his lawyer pointed out falsifications during the search, procedural violations and the unfoundedness of the verdict, but the court upheld it.
In November 2023, the Khasavyurt District Court sentenced Ataev to six years and five months in a general regime colony. He was found guilty of illegal possession of weapons (Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code), explosives (Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code) and drugs (Part 1 of Article 228 of the Criminal Code).
Ataev himself does not admit guilt and says that security forces planted prohibited items on him during the search. The activist also spoke about torture after detention. According to him, the security forces put a bag over his head, wrapped it with tape, and then forced objects that looked like a pistol handle and a grenade into his hands.
“I believe that it’s all about my socio-political activities. I observed elections, which in our country are often accompanied by fraud, and criticized the existing government. I associate the initiation of a criminal case against me with this,” Atayev said at a meeting of the Supreme Court.
- Eduard Atayev has been in prison since March 2022. Before that, he was detained at pickets , to which he came out with a poster “Khasavyurt district is under the control of a criminal group.” In addition, immediately after the opening of Navalny’s headquarters in Makhachkala, Ataevwas arrested for 10 days.
- On June 9, 2021, the Moscow City Court recognized the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights (FZPG) and the headquarters of Alexei Navalny as extremist organizations. An appeals court later upheld this decision. After this, supporters of the opposition politician began to leave Russia en masse.