Grigory Yavlinsky’s Facebook page, 12.03.2019

Prosecution of human rights activist Oyub Titiyev has been going on in Chechnya for a year now. Nothing defamatory to Titiyev has been found: all the charges look extremely unconvincing, contrived and politically motivated. Oyub Titiyev, Chairman of the Chechen [branch of human rights society] Memorial, is a very strong and courageous man, he cannot be broken. Yesterday, in his last word in court, Titiyev spoke about my appeals to the President: I twice drew Vladimir Putin’s attention to the need to bring the Titiyev case under control in order to protect an honest and innocent person, and not to allow injustice. But yesterday, the public prosecutor demanded four years of imprisonment [for Titiyev].

This is a landmark case: anyone can find himself in the place of Oyub Titiyev. Therefore, everyone in Russia should know about this case:

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Oyub Titiyev. School teacher. Children’s boxing coach. Human rights activist, head of the Chechen branch of Memorial. In January 2018, the traffic police stopped Oyub who was driving his Lada Kalina car. During an inspection, a police officer found a package with marijuana in a car of a 61-year-old school teacher, children’s coach and human rights activist (just at the moment when another policeman was inspecting the trunk in the presence of Oyub). Since then, Titiyev has been in prison.

I have known about Oyub Titiyev’s work for many years. I know how much he has done for the Chechen people, how he helped people in the most difficult situations, how he restored virtually with his hands schools destroyed during the war in Chechnya and how he evacuated the wounded and sick for treatment.

Oyub Titiyev saved many people from death. When on the peak of anti-Caucasus moods, virtually all Chechens and all those living in the Caucasus were considered terrorists, it was Oyub Titiyev who helped save many people from torture and beatings in the detention camps and prisons.

But now Titiyev is under trial, a decent and honest person is kept in a cage [in the court room] surrounded by eight armed men. Humiliation is a favourite tool of the judicial system in our country.

In modern Russia, the authorities do not like real fearless human rights activists, because they interfere with total lawlessness, torture, mockery and killing people, and attract attention to criminals and crimes. Therefore, human rights activists, their families and their children face real mobbing. I think I am not mistaken if I say that there is not a single person in Russia or Chechnya who would believe that Oyub Titiyev is a drug dealer. It is clear to everyone that the criminal case against Oyub is political, that it was fabricated. But people are intimidated. People are silent. Only a few people in Chechnya today will dare to stand up for Oyub Titiyev.

So why is this case so important for every person in Russia? Because in a state where the courts are completely subordinate (and in many cases they simply fulfill the order) [to the authorities], anyone can turn out to be in the place of Oyub Titiyev with drugs planed in his pocket or car. Therefore, everyone must spread information about Oyub, write about this outrageous injustice and talk about bullying an innocent person.

Saving Oyub Titiyev you save yourself and your children.

When the Chechen people will free from fear, they will be proud of and thank their courageous, honest and noble defender Oyub Titiyev.