19 June 2024, 21:03
Leila Gatagazheva, accused of having links with Syrian militants, was released under recognizance not to leave
The term of house arrest of Leila Gatagazheva, a native of Ingushetia, accused of links with Syrian militants, expired on June 17; and the court released her under recognizance not to leave the place, the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence* has reported.
According to Ramina Labazanova, an advocate, Gatagazheva's house arrest expired on June 17, and investigators had no legal grounds to ask the court to extend her freedom restriction measure. "They had nothing to do but to release her under recognizance not to leave," the advocate has explained.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that this February, investigators excluded the article on aiding terrorist activities from the charges against Gatagazheva; now she is accused only of taking part in an illegal armed formation (IAF). On April 27, the court decided to transfer her to house arrest. On May 14, the Supreme Court (SC) of Ingushetia returned the girl to the SIZO (pre-trial prison) for the second time. Her defence treated her return to the SIZO as unjustified cruelty. On May 24, Gatagazheva was again transferred under house arrest. According to Alaudi Musaev, an advocate, the decision to place Gatagazheva under house arrest is still a violation of the law, since the investigation deadline was over.
Leila Gatagazheva, born in 2001, is a mother of two children; she was accused of aiding terrorist activities and taking part in an IAF in Syria. Her relatives took her to the Middle East and married her there when she was 13 years old. She has already served five years in an Iraqi prison on a similar charge of working for militants of the "Islamic State" (IS)**.
*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of "inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces."
**On December 29, 2014, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the organization "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL or IS) as a terrorist international organization and banned its activities in Russia.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 18, 2024 at 04:55 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
