Lydia Yusupova demands to stop prosecution of advocate Kodzaeva in North Ossetia

Advocate Lydia Yusupova, a human rights activist from Chechnya and the organizer of the reception office of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial" in the city of Grozny, is calling her colleagues-advocates to exhibit solidarity and support advocate Irina Kodzaeva, accused by the inspector of the State Office of Public Prosecutor of violent behaviour.

We remind you that on October 17, the Leninskiy Court of North Ossetia made a conclusion in relation to Ms Kodzaeva about the presence of crime attributes in her actions. Earlier, Irina Kodzaeva had accused V. Pereverznev, inspector of the General Prosecutor's Office, of pushing her in the eyes of the witnesses and then striking her in the head with his palm, after which the woman strongly hit her face against the door post. All this happened at the moment when the advocate insisted to have access to her client Mudzhakhoev, who had told her about the threats of application of violence that he received and requests to plead guilty of the crimes and refuse from Kodzaeva's services.

The statement of Lydia Yusupova placed on the website of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial" runs that advocate Irina Kodzaeva is one of those who dares to defend the persons disliked by the authorities, and who is governed exclusively by the law and truth.

The human rights activist remarks that the fact of beating the advocate and initiation of a criminal case against her deprives citizens of last hope for defence against arbitrariness. "Upon our silent consent, fabrication of criminal cases, tortures, conspiracies of investigatory and judicial bodies are creeping over the whole of Russia," Ms Yusupova's statement runs. She is asking her colleagues-lawyers to raise the voice in defence of Kodzaeva, to demand to stop prosecuting her and send corresponding letters to the Russian State Office of Public Prosecutor.