The Khasavyurt district court of Dagestan sentenced the former coordinator of Navalny's Makhachkala headquarters, Eduard Atayev, to six years and five months in prison. About this “Caucasus. Realities,” his lawyer Israfil Gadadov said.
The prosecutor's office asked to sentence the oppositionist to 7.5 years in prison. Atayev’s lawyer notes that the investigation made “a lot of shortcomings in this case.” Gadadov told “Caucasus. Realities” that the verdict of his client will be appealed.
In the spring of 2022, a criminal case was opened against Eduard Atayev for possession of firearms, explosives and drugs (Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code; Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code and Part 1 of Article 228 of the Criminal Code). The oppositionist connected the persecution with his political and civic position and reported that weapons and drugs were planted on him.
Since March last year, Ataev has been in pre-trial detention center No. 3 in Khasavyurt. The case began to be considered on its merits in August of the same year. In September 2023, the court temporarily suspended the consideration of the case due to the fact that the oppositionist spoke in court about torture during detention. According to Atayev, security forces put a bag over his head, wrapped it with tape, and then forcibly placed objects that looked like a pistol handle and a grenade into his hands.
In April 2021, Atayev disappeared the day after the opening of Navalny’s headquarters in Makhachkala. It soon became clear that he was placed under administrative arrest under a protocol of disobedience to police officers (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code).