Court refusal to question defence-invited witnesses from the Caucasus angers "Memorial"* supporters

The refusal to interrogate within the "Memorial"* case those who founded this organization and is working therein, as well as the witnesses from Northern Caucasus declared by the defence, indicates the court's unwillingness to impartially delve into the essence of the case, human rights defenders have commented on the outcomes of the next court session.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 23, a regular court session was held to consider the liquidation case of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*.

According to Oleg Orlov, a board member of the HRC "Memorial"*, the defence has performed quite worthily and won the debate with prosecutors.

During the session, the defence petitioned to summon the witnesses, including three residents of Northern Caucasus, one of whom is Murtazali Gasanguseinov, the father of the murdered shepherd brothers, Mr Orlov said. According to his story, the witnesses were intended to tell about the activities of the HRC "Memorial*, so that "the court would assess it not only from the viewpoint of the absurd and formal claims of the prosecutor's office, but also from the viewpoint of the HRC's importance." "However, the court refused to listen to them," Oleg Orlov has stated.

Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee*, has treated the today's court session and the entire trial of the "Memorial* as "ridiculous."

The court refused to recognize Oleg Orlov and another human rights defender as interested persons in the trial, Ms Gannushkina has noted. "How can they fail to treat the founders of the organization, the persons who work there, interested persons?!" she wondered. Svetlana Gannushkina was also outraged by the court's decision to refuse to summon the witnesses declared by the defence.

*The organization has been included by the Russia's Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of the non-commercial organizations (NCOs) performing the functions of a foreign agent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 23, 2021 at 07:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.