20 January 2025, 21:49
Defence points to violations of Chechen lawyer Timur Idalov's rights
The court has overturned the ruling to enforce the sentence passed to Timur Idalov, a Chechen lawyer. The decision to keep him in custody after announcing the verdict is contrary to the law, his defence has stated.
On January 16, the secretary of the Khimki City Court informed Idalov that an order to overturn the sentence was expected in the near future. On the same day, a complaint about the Idalov's sentence was filed with this court. He had complained about the court's violations in his case and law enforcers' actions to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO), the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), the Supreme Court (SC) and President Putin.
On November 28, 2024, the court sentenced Idalov to one year and 11 months of forced labour and banned him from practicing law for three years, finding him guilty of threatening the prosecutor. The disqualification from practicing law was the most severe part of the sentence. The court left Idalov in custody pending appeal, although it was obliged to immediately release him. On December 27, Idalov was released and addressed the judge, pointing to violations in his case.
"According to the verdict, it was decided to leave him in custody until the sentence comes into legal force, despite the fact that the law obliges the court to immediately release him from custody, although he was illegally kept there from November 28 to December 27, 2024," one of Idalov's advocates has stated.
The advocate has also noted that "the statute of limitations for bringing to criminal liability for the crime imputed to Idalov expired on January 17, 2025," and this is a reason to stop the case.
The sentence, as the Khimki City Court has claimed, came into force on December 14, 2024, but Idalov remained in custody until December 27. However, the law prescribes an immediate release of the convicts whose sentences assume no freedom deprivation, the Idalov's complaint said.
On January 17, Idalov received a response from the Moscow's Branch of the FSIN (Russian Federal Penitentiary Service) to his complaint about the actions of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) administration. The letter denies the presence of Idalov's personal belongings in the SIZO warehouses, which were confiscated from him during the search and detention. However, Idalov himself asserts that his personal belongings (an iPhone 15-pro, a router, headphones, and other things), as well as money, were confiscated.
A defendant in custody is subject to immediate release in the courtroom if a guilty verdict has been passed not related to freedom deprivation, Mikki Arapiev, a lawyer with the Moscow Bar Association, has confirmed. According to his version, Idalov was held at the SIZO without reason, which can be interpreted as a violation of the article "Abuse of office."
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 18, 2025 at 08:04 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Alikhan Mamsurov Source: СK correspondent
