22 February 2022, 21:36
Chechen gays Magamadov and Isaev sentenced to long terms of imprisonment
In Chechnya, a court sentenced Salekh Magamadov to eight and Ismail Isaev to six years of imprisonment. The case against the brothers has been fabricated, and the defence will appeal against the verdict, says advocate Alexander Nemov.
The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the advocates were seeking to transfer the case to another region for consideration, but the court refused them, and the hunger strike, declared by the brothers, also proved fruitless. The “Amnesty International” (AI) demanded to release the brothers. The human rights defenders note that belonging to the LGBT community is not a crime.
Magamadov and Isaev brothers are accused of aiding and abetting a militant from a grouping led by Aslan Byutukaev. According to the investigators’ version, the brothers gave the militant bread, juice, tea, and chocolate.
“The today’s verdict is a crime against common sense. Magamadov and Isaev are not guilty, and their case is completely fabricated. If it weren’t for the publicity in the media, Salekh and Ismail would be already killed in Chechnya,” said advocate Alexander Nemov.
‘Salekh and Ismail believe that the case against them has been fabricated because of their sexual orientation and oppositional views,” notes Miron Rozanov, the press secretary for the “CK SOS” crisis group.
Ismail Isaev was first detained in August 2019 in Grozny, when a policeman found an LGBT flag while checking the suspect’s mobile phone. Ismail Isaev was being kept in the police department for 10 days with a demand of a “ransom” from his mother.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 22, 2022 at 04:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Alyona Sadovskaya Source: CK correspondent
