House arrest of Ingush journalist Maisigov extended

A court in Magas has left Rashid Maisigov, a "Fortanga" journalist, accused of drug possession, under house arrest for three months. The debates on the case have been adjourned at the prosecutor's request.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rashid Maisigov had collaborated with the "Fortanga" edition that covered the protests in Ingushetia in late March of 2019. The journalist complained about anonymous threats related to his work. Maisigov was detained on July 12 after searches in his house, where law enforcers found a package with some white powder. The journalist was accused of keeping an especially large quantity of narcotic drugs; he refuses to plead guilty. Maisigov said that he was tortured.

On July 24, the Magas District Court extended Maisigov's house arrest until November 11, 2020, his advocate Magomed Aushev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the advocate, the court had planned to move on to the parties' debates, but they did not take place due to the replacement of the state prosecutor. "The new prosecutor said he was not ready, and the trial was postponed," the advocate said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 24, 2020 at 09:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.