Press Release, 22.12.2020

On December 28, Yabloko Party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov will take part in a press conference on the start of the trial of seven leaders and activists of the Ingush protest: Akhmed Barakhoev, Malsag Uzhakhov, Zarifa Saytiyeva, Barakh Chemurziev, Musa Malsagalov, Ismayil, and Bagaudin Khautiev. The press conference will begin at 11:00. The conference will take place in the office of the Moscow Helsinki Group at the address: Moscow, Krasina 15, building 1.

The event will also be attended by Karinna Moskalenko, lawyer of the Moscow Bar Association, Sergei Davidis, head of the programme for the recognition of political prisoners of the Memorial Human Rights Centre, Lev Ponomaryov, head of the movement “For Human Rights”, and writer Alisa Ganieva. The anchor of the press conference is Kala Akhilgov, lawyer of the Moscow Bar Association.

Seven leaders of the protest movement in Ingushetia – Akhmed Barakhoev, Musa Malsagov, Ismail Nalgiev, Zarifa Sautieva, Malsag Uzhakhov, Bagaudin Khautiev and Barakh Chemurziev – have been under arrest since April 3, 2019 in pre-trial detention centres in the North Caucasus on charges of organising violence dangerous to health of representatives of the authorities. They are charged under articles: Part 3 of Article 33, part 2 of Article 318, Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Mass reprisals against protesters began a few days after the clash between protesters and security officials in Magas, which took place on the morning of March 27, 2019.  Mass protests in Ingushetia began after the adoption of backstage agreements between the heads of Chechnya and Ingushetia to change the boundaries of between Chechnya and Ingushetia in such a way, that Chechnya got the lands of Ingushetia.

All the detainees are taken from Ingushetia to other regions of the North Caucasus. Trials are also held outside Ingushetia. 48 people were brought to criminal responsibility, 26 sentences were passed, criminal prosecution was terminated against three suspects. At least 39 residents of Ingushetia are accused of violence against law enforcement officers on March 27, 2019. Eight leaders of the Ingush opposition are accused of organising this violence, creating an extremist community and participating in it. One activist is accused of inciting violence that is harmless to the health of security forces officers.

Detentions, searches and arrests in the “Ingush case” continue to this day.

The activities of a number of Ingush public organisations were terminated by the decision of the Supreme Court of Ingushetia. The Ingush Committee for National Unity, which organised protests against the lies and arbitrariness of the authorities, was called by the investigation an extremist community. Some authors of the independent website Fortanga, founded during the protests and covering the situation in the region, were forced to leave Russia.

Fortanga editor Rashid Maisigov was sentenced to three years in a general regime penal colony on charges of drug trafficking and incitement to separatism. A criminal case was opened against 13 Ingush policemen prevented a further escalation of violence on both sides on the morning of March 27, 2019, on their non-compliance with the order (Article 286.1 of the Criminal Code).

On November 24, the Yessentuki City Court began to consider the criminal case on the merits. Despite the fact that the case is still pending in the Kislovodsk City Court, the hearings will take place in the building of the Yessentuki City Court, since the premises in Kislovodsk are not suitable for such a large number of accused.

Yabloko several times appealed to President of Russia, head of Ingushetia and the Human Rights Council demanding to stop criminal prosecution of civil activists of Ingushetia. Nikolai Rybakov visited Ingushetia and made statements on the inadmissibility of reprisals.

Contacts for journalists:

+79857691718 Kaloy Akhilgov

+79100023589 Svetlana Astrakhantseva