15:14, 23 January 2018

Dagestani HRC "Memorial" office reports receiving threats

The HRC "Memorial" car (in the center) set on fire after Oyub Titiev's advocate had used it in Makhachkala on January 20th. Photo: https://memohrc.org/ru/news_old/v-mahachkale-podozhgli-avtomobil-memoriala-na-kotorom-advokat-ezdil-v-chechnyu

Today, members of the Dagestani office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" have got an SMS-message and a phone call with a demand to stop their activities. An unidentified man informed the rights defenders that the arson of the car was a warning.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 22, in Makhachkala, fire was set to a car of the HRC "Memorial". The car was used by a HRC's advocate who travelled to Chechnya concerning the case against Oyub Titiev, the leader of the HRC "Memorial" office in Grozny. Rights defenders have treated the arson of the car as an act of intimidation.

Since January 11, Oyub Titiev is in custody on the charge of marijuana possession. He claims the drugs were planted on him.

Today, the Dagestani HRC "Memorial" office has got five SMS-messages reading: "You are walking on the verge of the abyss. Close your office! Next time, we will set fire on your office when you are inside. Your burnt car is a warning," reported Sirazhudin Datsiev, the head of the HRC's office.

According to him, after the SMS-messages came, a man called from the same phone number and demanded from the rights defender to read the SMS-messages.

Let us remind you that at night on January 17, the Ingush office of the HRC "Memorial" was also set on fire.

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

Author: Patimat Makhmudova

Source: CK correspondent