14:46, 15 October 2018

Witness: Oyub Titiev's case relates to pressure on HRC "Memorial" in Northern Caucasus

Oyub Titiev. Photo by the press service of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial"

The case against Oyub Titiev, accused of drug possession, the arson of a human defenders' car in Dagestan, and the attack on the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" office in Ingushetia are links of one chain, states Sirazhutdin Datsiev, the head of the Dagestani branch of the HRC "Memorial".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at the court hearing held on October 9, a policeman admitted that he had not seen how a bag with drugs had been taken out of the Oyub Titiev's car. Two witnesses for the defence confirmed that Oyub Titiev always adhered to the healthy lifestyle.

Oyub Titiev claims that the drugs had been planted to him. He was recently awarded the Václav Havel Prize.

Sirazhutdin Datsiev has explained that he knows Oyub Titiev for a long time, but never saw him smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages.

"Oyub Titiev is a believer. I can call him a role model," said Sirazhutdin Datsiev.

After advocates of the Dagestani HRC "Memorial" visited Kurchaloi, their service car was set on fire. In Makhachkala, staff members of the HRC "Memorial" also got demands to close their office, the witness said. "Otherwise, they threatened to set us on fire together with the office," said Sirazhutdin Datsiev.

He has also added that the Ingush office was used for help in the Oyub Titiev's case as a base for journalists and defenders.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 15, 2018 at 11:50 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Patimat Makhmudova

Source: CK correspondent