14:39, 21 May 2019

Titiev asks for CER

Oyub Titiev with his advocate Marina Dubrovina. Photo by the Caucasian Knot

A petition for conditional early relief (CER) of the Chechen rights defender Oyub Titiev has been submitted to the Shali City Court, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has informed today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 18, Oyub Titiev was found guilty of drug possession and sentenced to four years in a colony-settlement. He refused to file an appeal complaint in hope of the CER possible in May this year.

Oyub Titiev himself insists that the drug was planted on him, the material of the "Caucasian Knot" reports.

Pyotr Zaikin, his advocate, has submitted a petition asking to apply CER to Titiev on May 15, the website of the HRC "Memorial" says today.

According to rights defenders, with account of the time spent by Titiev at the SIZO (pre-trial prison), he has already served a third of his term – one year and four months – on May 9, 2019, and has the right to ask for CER. "In his petition, Mr Zaikin has noted that Titiev had committed no disciplinary offenses during the entire period of his detention and is strictly observing the rules of the colony's internal regulations," reads the message posted on the website.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 21, 2019 at 11:15 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.