Titiev's defence demands to disqualify the judge

The judge's decisions to reject all the defence's petitions in the case of Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", may be associated with fears for the judge's personal safety, Titiev's advocate has stated today. The prosecutors have treated the defence's demands to disqualify the court as unjustified.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Oyub Titiev's has been considered by the Shali City Court since July 19, 2018. The court is supporting the prosecution's arguments and refuses to satisfy any defence's motions, disregarding the fact that they point to gross falsifications, Oyub Titiev's advocates told the "Caucasian Knot" after the court session on February 8.

In the course of the today's session, the advocate Ilya Novikov announced the disqualification of the judge, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

According to the advocate, overall, 38 sessions have been held on Titiev's case. "We have lodged many petitions demanding to invalidate a number of materials from case files. Despite the obvious violations, all of them have been rejected. I think you have a personal interest and it may manifest itself in the fear for your personal safety and the safety of your relatives. I don't think the interest is selfish or originates from your personal dislike for Titiev," the advocate Ilya Novikov has stated to the judge.

The state prosecutors have opposed the defence's demand to disqualify the judge.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 11, 2019 at 03:29 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.