Geriev's case attracted attention of Russian and British press

Materials about the political nature of prosecution of Zhalaudi Geriev, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in Chechnya, were published by the "Kommersant" and The Guardian.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 5, Geriev was sentenced to three years in colony on charges of keeping marijuana.

Alavdi Musaev, a Geriev's advocate, said that the consideration of the complaint lodged against the verdict is expected in early November. He hopes for an acquittal, the "Kommersant" writes.

According to Musaev, it has not been possible yet to clear out all the circumstances of Geriev's detention and establish those behind it.

Mr Geriev himself excludes the presence of any his personal enemies in the republic and associates the prosecution exclusively with his professional activities, said Musaev.

Oleg Orlov, the head of the "Hotspots" programme at the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has explained to the newspaper that the recognition of Geriev to be a political prisoner, as rights defenders hope, should help to publicize the circumstances of the case.

The Geriev's case has received resonance abroad. On October 10, the British newspaper The Guardian wrote about it, treating the case as another example of pressure on media by Ramzan Kadyrov's regime.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.