Human rights activists are concerned about pressure on Chechnya resident who applied to the European Court

The "Civil Assistance" committee and the  "Memorial" human rights centre express their deep concern about the situation of Zaurbek Talkhigov who serves 8.5 years of prison for an attempt to set free the hostages from the Theatre Centre on Dubrovka in October 2002.

Anna Politkovskaya, a well-known journalist, is soon going to visit the convict in the prison.

The "Memorial" human rights centre information which came to the "Caucasian Knot" editorial office runs that on June 13, 2006, S. A. Gannushkina, chairperson of the "Civil Assistance" committee, obtained information that the administration of the prison where Talkhigov serves his term suggested that he should not mention the beatings he had been subjected to in February in his interviews to mass media representatives. Zaurbek answered that, although there were no beatings any more and no physical pressure was being exerted on him at the moment, he did not consider it necessary to hide the February events.

On June 16, Talkhigov's health was reported to sharply deteriorate and the prison doctor recommended his hospitalization.

For reference, the prison security regime for Talkhigov was made stricter after the European Court in Strasburg had communicated his complaint.

In February 2006, Zaurbek was subjected to beatings in the UN 78/Т prison in Dimitrovgrad, Ulianovsk region, where he had been placed upon the court ruling.

Additionally, according to the information of the "Civil Assistance" committee, the inmates complain of poor food at this penitentiary establishment, and yet the administration does not accept the humanitarian assistance provided by charities. In particular, a sponsor prepared 300 kg of food products for handing over to the prison in May this year, but the prison chief flatly refused to accept it.

The "Common Effort" initiative group which includes heads of major Russian human rights organizations considers Zaurbek Talkhigov a political prisoner. He was represented at the exhibition "Political justice" and modern Russian political prisoners" which was held at the Andrei Sakharov Museum and public centre in Moscow from February 22 to April 2, 2006.

For reference, on the day when hostages were taken in the Theatre Centre on Dubrovka in October 2002, Talkhigov was on a business trip to Moscow. In the morning of October 25, he responded to the TV address of Aslanbek Aslakhanov, State Duma deputy, who had called on all Chechens in Moscow to come to the TC on Dubrovka, surround the "Nord-Ost" building with a live circle and force the terrorists surrender. The plan failed - there were few people who came.

Then Aslakhanov asked Talkhigov to communicate with the terrorists and gave him the telephone number of Movsar Baraev, their leader. The request was joined by journalists from Holland and Oleg Zhirov, a Netherlands citizen of Russian origin, whose wife and child were among the hostages. Talkhigov phoned Baraev, spoke to the militants trying to win their confidence and get concessions for hostages. To this end, Zaurbek had to provide terrorists with all information about himself and his family residence. All Talkhigov's negotiations were held in the presence of security officers who did not raise any objections.

According to witnesses, Zaurbek Talkhigov's negotiations with terrorists on the liberation of foreign citizens were progressing rather successfully. In particular, on October 25, one day prior to the attack, he, together with O. P. Bespalov, Ukrainian Rada deputy, managed to come to a preliminary agreement on prompt liberation of Ukrainian citizens.

However, the agreement was not implemented: the same day, one and a half hours after the last conversation with the militants, Zaurbek Talkhigov was detained by FSS officers. He was charged with assistance to terrorists.

Although during the court hearings on the case of taking hostages in the "Nord-Ost" building the witnesses, one after another, confirmed the innocence of the defendant, on June 20, 2003, the Moscow city court found 25-year-old Zaurbek Talkhigov guilty of "abetting terrorism and taking of hostages " (art. 30, 205 and 206 of RF CC) in the theatre centre on Dubrovka and sentenced him to 8.5 years of high-security colony. On September 9, 2003, the cassation instance. i.e. the panel of judges on criminal cases at the RF Supreme Court, let the verdict stand, although its wording unambiguously noted that, when Zaurbek Talkhigov came to the Theatre Centre, "he had no intention to abet terrorism."

According to his lawyer, in the course of the court proceedings, "the FSS reported that a part of the printouts of Talkhigov's negotiations with militants had been destroyed as not wanted," therefore, the court could only analyze a small part of the negotiations, while the major part, relating to the liberation of hostages which could justify the actions of Talkhigov, was left outside its attention. The public prosecutor also recognized this, saying: "Indeed, only a part of the negotiations was submitted to court, but this happened because the security officers had not got a sanction for recording them at once."

After the Talkhigov's complaint to the European Court had been communicated to Russia, the colony administration applied for making his prison security regime stricter. A court session on the application was held on August 11, 2005 in Syktyvkar.

Talkhigov was charged with 23 regular violations of the security regime. The court adopted a decision to transfer Talkhigov from the colony to prison for 2 years.