Djumaev's story becomes a signal to Kremlin about protest potential of Chechens

By taking part in a protest action in support of Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Said-Mukhammad Djumaev showed the Russian authorities that the Ramzan Kadyrov's ability to control natives of Chechnya was exaggerated, says human rights defender Ruslan Kutaev. An investigation into the Said-Mukhammad Djumaev's case will not be long, and the verdict is unlikely to be mild, lawyers predict.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Said-Mukhammad Djumaev clashed with law enforcers at the protest action in support of Alexei Navalny held in Moscow on January 23. The native of Chechnya was arrested and charged with using violence against public officers.

Said-Mukhammad Djumaev is not the first native of Chechnya whose participation in the all-Russian protest action provoked a public outcry, notes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

"The case of Said-Mukhammad Djumaev has sent a signal to the Kremlin that there are Chechens who will not obey their authority and also showed the Chechen authorities that they do not control everything," the expert concluded.

Meanwhile, the expert believes that the case of Said-Mukhammad Djumaev does not suggest the growth of support for Alexei Navalny in the Caucasus.

Galina Tarasova, a lawyer from the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*, noted that in general, court decisions in cases similar to the Said-Mukhammad Djumaev's case have become more severe.

In general, the use of violence against law enforcers is punished with a fine, and only protesters are sentenced to real terms of imprisonment for that, says Pavel Chikov, the head of the human rights organization "Agora".

* the HRC "Memorial" is recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent.