Persoverzicht Tsjetsjenië - maart 2019

• 2019-04-02
• Democratie & mensenrechten Europa in de wereld

12 maart 2019

Court to deliver verdict in Chechen human rights activist's case next week: On 18 March, the Shali city court is expected to deliver a verdict in the case of the head of the Chechen office of the Memorial human rights centre Oyub Titiyev charged with the 'illegal possession of drugs'. Earlier, the state prosecutor asked the court to sentence Titiyev to four years imprisonment and to fine him 100,000 roubles. (MK, RIAN; Ekho Moskvy)

19 maart 2019

Chechen rights activist Titiyev sentenced to 4 years in jail for drug possession: The Shali city court in Chechnya on Monday found the head of the Chechen office of the Memorial human rights centre Oyub Titiyev guilty of 'illegal possession of drugs' and sentenced him to four years imprisonment. Kommersant reports that Titiyev's defense lawyers and his colleagues view the conviction as "illegal," but say that the sentence was "softer than expected." The daily cites a statement by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic, who called the conviction of Titiyev "the latest example of the hostile and dangerous environment in which human rights advocates operate in Chechnya."  Interfax provides a statement by the EU, which stressed that the sentencing of Titiyev "continues a trend of arrests, attacks and discrediting of human rights defenders and journalists who work in that region of Russia." (Interfax, Kommersant, RBC)

25 maart 2019

Russian military to have their own mobile operator: According to Vedomosti, the Russian Defense Ministry-controlled 'Voentelecom' telecom operator has received a license of Mobile Virtual Network. It will operate on the basis of Tele2 network. (ii) A resident of Ingushetia has filed a lawsuit against the FSB and the Interior Ministry over restrictions imposed on access to mobile data services during protests in Ingushetia in 2018 against an agreement on the administrative border with Chechnya. (Vedomosti)

27 maart 2019

Protesters in Ingushetia call for Ingush leader's resignation: An authorised protest action was held on Tuesday in Magas (Ingushetia's capital) to demand that Ingushetia head Yevkurov resign. The action was sparked by Ingush authorities' plans to amend the regional law 'on referendum'. The media recalls that in autumn 2018, protests were staged in Ingushetia against the agreement on the administrative border with Chechnya. (Kommersant, MT)

28 maart 2019

Protests in Ingushetia: In a front-page article, Nezavisimaya Gazeta addresses protests in Magas (Ingushetia's capital) and reports that protesters call for Ingush head Yunus-Bek Yevkurov's resignation and revision of the agreement on the administrative border with Chechnya. Organizers claim that up to 20,000 people took part in an authorised action on 26 March. Some protesters stayed in Magas' central square overnight. The newspaper notes that Yabloko was the only party which has supported the protest action. (MT, NG)