Interrogation of human rights activist Boliev in Dagestan postponed until June 21

The first interrogation of Osman Boliev, head of "Romashka" human rights organization, fixed for today at the internal affairs department of Khasavyurt (Dagestan) in relation with the new criminal case initiated against him has not taken place. "I have spoken with the investigating officer over the telephone, he says that he is busy today and the interrogation has been put off until next Wednesday, June 21, at 10 a.m. I have passed this to Osman," reports Salimat Kadyrova, O. Boliev's lawyer, to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by telephone from Dagestan.

"On 09.06.2006, Niyazbiev S. U., senior investigation officer of the criminal investigation unit of Khasavyurt department of internal affairs, submitted a report on revealing elements of crime in the activity of Boliev Osman Ranzanovich, which fall under articles 208, para. 2, and 222, para. 1, of RF CC. From the available materials, it may be concluded that in summer 2000 Boliev O. R. illegally acquired firearms, i.e. Kalashnikov gun, and joined an illegal armed unit dislocated in the city of Grozny, Chechen Republic," runs the decision on the initiation of criminal proceedings passed on June 11 by major N. Gairbiev, senior investigation officer of the criminal investigation unit in Khasavyurt. A copy of the decision has been passed by the defendant to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The document was signed by the investigating officer on June 11, at 14:30, and at 15:05 of the same day it was sent to the town prosecutor's office, while on June 11 at 15.00 sharp, as is evident from the pen inscription in the right-hand top corner of the resolution, the deputy prosecutor of Khasavyurt already gave his consent to initiate a criminal case against Boliev.

According to Kadyrova, her client has told her that he never acquired any shot-gun; in 2000 he worked in Khasavyurt and never left the town, which could be confirmed by a lot of witnesses.

As Boliev himself has told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, he learnt about the initiation of a new criminal case against him on the night of June 13. According to the human rights activist, on June 13, approximately at 21-22 p.m., the investigating officer from the Khasavyurt department of internal affairs came and handed him over a summons which ran that a criminal case had been initiated against him and prescribed him to stand for interrogation in the capacity of a suspect in the town militia station on June 19 at 10 a.m. The investigating officer did not give Boliev any further details.

Quite recently, Osman Boliev has already been charged with illegal acquisition, storage and carrying of firearms, and on May 18 of this year he was fully acquitted by the Khasavyurt town court. The town prosecutor's office disagreed with the court acquittal and appealed against the ruling. No consideration of the state prosecution cassation protest by the Dagestan Supreme Court has been appointed yet.

"To acquit... owing to the innocence of the defendant of committing the crime... The material evidence, i.e. RGN grenade (without a fuse), shall be destroyed upon the ruling coming into force, " runs the court ruling on O. Boliev, the full text of which was published by "Caucasian Knot" on May 30.

Even before the ruling was announced, Osman Boliev and Sergei Brovchenko, his lawyer, had applied to the RF General Prosecutor's office, the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Dagestan, the Supreme Court and the judicial qualification chamber of Dagestan with a request to bring the magistrate judge of section No. 35 of Khasavyurt, who had falsified the decision with regard to Boliev, to criminal and disciplinary responsibility. They had also launched an appeal to the town prosecutor against the decision to decline the initiation of a criminal case on torture of Osman Boliev described in the article by Anna Politkovskaya in the "Novaya Gazeta" newspaper in February this year.

For reference, on November 15, 2005, Osman Boliev, resident of Khasavyurt, stood by his brother's car parked near his house. He was approached by traffic militiamen who, claiming that the Boliev's car resembled a car reported to be stolen, suggested that he should follow them to the militia station for checking. Boliev took the wheel to follow the traffic militia car in the direction of the local department of internal affairs. However, on the way there the Boliev's car was stopped by soldiers of the RF MIA mobile investigation unit. The traffic militia officers handed Boliev over to the mobile squad militiamen and drove off. In their turn, the latter placed O. Boliev into their car, put a bag over his head, handcuffed him and took him to the Khasavyurt department of internal affairs. According to the human rights activist, while in militia, they had been torturing him for several hours, then searched him and "discovered" a dismantled grenade on him.

Initially, they tried to charge Boliev with involvement in an illegal armed unit. On November 16, 2005, already the next day following the arrest, the "Dagestan" news agency, citing the Dagestan MIA press-service, reported that O. Boliev, active participant of illegal armed units, had been detained in Khasavyurt. According to law enforcement agencies, he was member of the group of Abdulsheikhov Arslanbek killed in Moscow's "Nord-Ost" theatre in 2003. The report also ran that security agencies possessed information on the detainee's involvement in combat actions against federal forces on the territory of the Chechen Republic and that during arrest of the "militant," "an RGD-5 grenade with a fuse was found on him and confiscated."

"Boliev was searched not on the spot of the arrest but in the department of internal affairs building. Logically thinking, when following the traffic militia car, Boliev could have easily got rid of the grenade parts, but he did not do this, stated the "Public Verdict" foundation. The documents submitted to the prosecutor's office for the initiation of criminal proceedings lacked the grenade description, interrogations of the witnesses who attended the search (the interrogation materials were submitted only a few days later), and the materials of the administrative detention." Notably, while the investigator of the Boliev's case sent a GRD-5 grenade for expert examination, the expert returned his opinion on the "RGN (Afghani) grenade." Lawyer Salimat Kadyrova, while talking to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, assumed that the grenade had been changed due to the fact that it had already been "exposed" somewhere.

A number of experts think that the main cause of the Boliev's detention and charge has been his professional activity. The "Romashka" public organization headed by Boliev has been initiator of notorious court proceedings on the case of kidnapping Dagestan resident Yaraly Israilov on October 19, 2004 by officers of Khasavyurt department of internal affairs. Boliev, along with Karina Moskalenko, head of International Protection Facilitation Centre, compiled and sent a complaint on the case to the European Court on Human Rights. In addition, Boliev publicly disclosed the fact of murder of Summai Abdurashitova, a 6-year old girl, by Dagestan law enforcement officers during a secret operation on arresting suspected criminals. She was killed on March 14, 2005 in her bed in the village of Solnechnoye, Khasavyurt district, by the fragment of a large-calibre shell. A complaint on the case was also filed in the European Court.

The "Memorial" human rights centre stated on March 16 that "the criminal prosecution of Osman Boliev in Dagestan is clearly politically motivated."