Rights defenders doubt prospects of objective inquiry into case of Magamadov and Isaev

The transfer of the case of Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev from the district division into the regional department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Chechnya will not lead to punishment of the law enforcers involved, human rights defenders believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 23, Tatiana Moskalkova, the Russian Ombudsperson, asked the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) to check the statements about pressure on Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev, who had been brought by law enforcers to Chechnya. The case was transferred to the ICRF's Branch for Chechnya, their advocates reported, treating it as a "small victory" and expressing hope for a more objective investigation.

However, Oleg Orlov, a board member of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", is sure that the transfer of the case of Magamadov and Isaev to the highest instance will make no difference. Recalling the case of the human rights defender, Oyub Titiev, Mr Orlov has noted that the transfer of the case to a higher authority had yielded no progress.

He is also sure that no positive effect should be expected from Moskalkova's intervention, he is also sure. He recalled her reaction to the appeal of the HRC "Memorial" on the facts of extrajudicial executions of residents of Chechnya detained in January 2017.

Igor Kalyapin, the head of the "Committee against Torture" (CaT), believes that one can share the optimism of the advocates of Magamadov and Isaev, but one should not expect the law enforcers to be punished.

The optimism of the defence of Magamadov and Isaev is due to the fact that contacts at the local, regional level among law enforcers are broken, said Alexander Nemov, a lawyer.