In Chechnya, Magomed Gadaev sentenced to 1.5 years of imprisonment in a penal colony

In Achkhoi-Martan, the court sentenced Magomed Gadaev, a native of Chechnya, who asked for state protection after being deported from France, to 1.5 years of imprisonment in a penal colony in a case on possession of weapons.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 9, 37-year-old Magomed Gadaev was deported from France to Russia despite his protest. On April 11, the police took Magomed Gadaev to Chechnya in connection with a criminal case on possession of weapons. On April 14, the defendant refused the services of advocate Tsvetkov, provided to him by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Memorial”*. On May 27, it became known that Magomed Gadaev refused the services of Alexander Nemov, another advocate, who was hired by a Magomed Gadaev’s wife, living in France. The human rights defenders suggested that Magomed Gadaev was forced to deprive himself of the right to defence.

Today, the European organization “Bart-Marsho”, which unites Chechen natives, and the wife of Magomed Gadaev have confirmed the fact that the Achkhoi-Martan District Court of Chechnya pronounced a sentence to Magomed Gadaev, the BBC Russian Service reports.

“We sentenced him to 1.5 years of imprisonment in a penal colony,” officers from the Achkhoi-Martan District Court of Chechnya informed the BBC Russian Service.

According to the Magomed Gadaev’s wife, the trial in her husband’s case took place very quickly, and the court hearing was attended by sisters of Magomed Gadaev and his appointed advocate. The human rights defenders who monitored the fate of Magomed Gadaev were not aware of the court hearing.

* The organization is included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the “Register of non-profit organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent”.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 9, 2021 at 05:48 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.