New action against rights defenders

A new criminal case has been opened against the interregional public organisation Russian-Chechen Friendship Society (RCFS). This is what RCFS Chief Executive Stanislav Dmitriyevskii learnt earlier today while being interrogated at the Main Investigation Department at the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Main Department of Internal Affairs. This time, the Society is charged under Part 1, Article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Evasion of taxes and (or) levies on an organisation on an especially large scale." The criminal case is based on tax examination materials, in particular Decision No 25 on holding the taxpayer accountable for tax breaks which has currently been appealed in the Court of Arbitration and which the court has suspended.

The criminal case was opened as far back as on 2 September, but the RCFS has learnt about this only today. Mr Dmitriyevskii yesterday received summons to come for an interrogation as a witness. During the interrogation, investigator Alexander Vorobiev told Mr Dmitriyevskii about the criminal case. No one has been charged as yet. However, considering that Mr Dmitriyevskii is the only executive who decides on finance, he should be expected to be the main suspect.

The Nizhny Novgorod Regional Prosecutor's Office charged Mr Dmitriyevskii under Article 282 of the Criminal Code "incitement of hatred" on 2 September, as was earlier reported.

The RCFS thinks that criminal and administrative suits against the organisation on the part of the prosecutor's office, Internal Affairs Ministry, tax inspection, and Justice Ministry are politically motivated and aimed at elimination of a human rights organisation that subjects the Russian government's policy in the North Caucasus to caustic criticism.

• Human rights defenders threatened again