The trial and conviction of Oyub Titiev: A travesty of justice and a dire warning to human rights defenders to stop documenting the abysmal human rights situation in Chechnya

As Oyub Titiev, Head of the Human Rights Center (HRC) "Memorial"office in Chechnya, was released today on parole, the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, in the framework of the Observatory for theProtection of Human Rights Defenders, together with the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), publish an observation note on his trial andconviction.

The noteshows how the trial was replete with violations of fair trial standards. Prior to the start of the trial, the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, publicly claimed that Titiev is a drug user, thereby violating the presumption of innocence of the accused. During the eight-month long trial, the judge refused repeatedly defense motions to conduct an investigation into well-substantiated allegations that marijuana had been planted in Titiev’s car.

Our organisationswelcome the release on parole of Oyub Titiev, butonce again call on the authorities to annul his conviction, provide him with full reparation and furnish guarantees that he and all other human rights defenders will be allowed to pursue their vital human rights work without any further impediment or harassment by local or federal officials.

Read the trialobservation note here.

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) wascreated in 1997 by OMCT and FIDH. The objective of this programme is tointervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented byinternational civil society.

IPHRis an independent, non-governmental organization founded in 2008. Based inBrussels, IPHR works closely together with civil society groups from different countriesto raise human rights concerns at the international level and promote respectfor the rights of vulnerable communities.

For more information, please contact:

· OMCT: Iolanda Jaquemet / Roemer Lemaitre: + 41 79 539 41 06 / + 41 22 809 49 39

· FIDH: Eva Canan: + 33 6 48 05 91 57

· IPHR: Simon Papuashvili: +32 494 75 39 42