Court refuses to acquit Ingush activist Myakiev

The cassation instance has refused to acquit Bagaudin Myakiev, an Ingush activist, accused of attacking law enforcers at a rally in Magas, but mitigated the sentence. Myakiev is dissatisfied by the decision, as he has already served his term.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Bagaudin Myakiev, a member of the Council of Teips (family clans) of the Ingush people, was detained in April 2019, and on February 20, 2020, he was sentenced to 1 year and 10 months of freedom deprivation. He served his sentence in full and was released in August 2020. In early 2022, the sentence was cancelled; and the case was sent back for a retrial. The court appointed Myakiev 1.5 years in jail – four months less than the first term.

"We filed a cassation appeal and asked to acquit Myakiev, because, in our opinion, his involvement in the crime was not established; and the contradictions in this case are too great. The prosecutor asked to mitigate the sanction, since no Bagaudin's mitigating circumstances had been taken into account, namely, his small child and his health condition," Magomed Aushev, an advocate, has explained.

"I demand my full acquittal because I am innocent ... I'll fight to the end: I'll go to the Supreme Court, and if it also fails to treat me as innocent, I'll apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," Bagaudin Myakiev has stated.

Let us remind you that since January 13, in the Stavropol Territory, a trial has been underway on the appeals lodged against the verdict of seven Magas protest leaders.