Rights defenders criticize prosecution in Kudaev's case

A court in Rostov-on-Don began considering the case of Andzor Kudaev, a native of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), whom investigators have accused of aiding terrorists and possessing weapons. In their turn, human rights defenders assert that the indictment is based on Kudaev's confessions obtained under torture.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 14, 2021, Andzor Kudaev, an entrepreneur from the KBR, stated that he had been tortured and threatened to confess to illegal possession of weapons and aiding a terrorist organization. He submitted an application about the falsification of his criminal case and torture to the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has begun considering the Andzor Kudaev's criminal case. On August 15, the prosecutor announced the indictment, "which is based on Kudaev's confessions given by him under torture," the HRC "Memorial" reported in its Telegram channel "Full HRC 2.0".

On August 5, 2021, in Nalchik, law enforcers planted weapons into Kudaev's car, "and then tortured him with electric shocks, demanding from him to confess to aiding members of the 'Islamic State' (IS), a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court." Under torture, Kudaev signed a confession, says the post of the HRC "Memorial".

Kudaev has repeatedly complained about law enforcers' illegal actions to the prosecutor's office, the KBR Branch of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), and to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the KBR, but "a criminal case on the use of violence against him was never initiated, over the past year 11 decisions were issued to refuse to initiate one," activists of the HRC "Memorial" have noted. "Moreover, after his complaint about torture sent to the KBR Branch of the ICRF, Kudaev was again detained, and another criminal case was opened against him – about complicity in the activities of a terrorist organization," human rights defenders have added.

*The organization was included by the Russia Ministry of Justice into the register of NCOs performing the functions of a foreign agent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 16, 2022 at 07:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.