Human rights defenders threatened again

Stanislav Dmitrievskii and Oksana Chelyshev of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS) that deals with Chechnya problems filed an application to the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Prosecutor's Office on 9 September, requesting to open a criminal case with regard to new threats they had received several hours before.

Leaflets with threats of physical violence were stuck to the walls in the house where RCFS Chief Executive Stanislav Dmitrievskii lives, as well as to the door of his flat. Unlike the previous case that occurred five months ago, this time the leaflets are signed not by the "patriotic front of A.P. Ivanov," but contain the actual phone numbers of activists of the National-Bolshevik Party. However, the national-bolsheviks have nothing to do with the threats, according to the RCFS. The people who prepared and distributed the leaflets have committed a conscious provocation, which Mr Dmitrievskii and Ms Chelyshev indicated in their complaint.

The applicants also requested combining the criminal case that must be opened with regard to yesterday's threats with the criminal case opened over similar leaflets with threats addressed to Ms Oksana Chelyshev that have been distributed on 14 March.

• Rights defenders stripped of funds

More info:

• Declaration on Human Rights Defenders