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| Kochesoko calls his criminal prosecution unfounded |
| 2024-06-30 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] Martin Kochesoko, an activist from Kabardino-Balkaria who moved to Europe, called his criminal prosecution in Russia for evading his duties as a foreign agent unfounded. As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, on June 22 it became known that security forces opened a criminal case for failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) against Martin Kochesoko, who lives abroad, who was fined by the Baksan District Court for administrative cases in December 2023 and February 2024 due to the lack of a "foreign agent" label in publications. On August 25, 2023, the Ministry of Justice added the head of the Khabze public organization, Martin Kochesoko, to the register of foreign agents. The department explained its decision by saying that the activist called for a violation of the territorial integrity of Russia and distributed materials from foreign agents. The grounds for initiating a criminal case were not communicated to either Martin Kochesoko himself or his representatives, Martin Kochesoko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He considered the new claims of the security forces "absurd, like the previous ones. It is not known what became the basis for the new claims. I believe that I was appointed a so-called "foreign agent" without reason, and signing as someone I am not is absurd," the activist said. Martin Kochesoko has been involved in public activities since 2006 and was a member of the "Circassian Congress". In April 2019, the activist criticized the ban on the motor rally on the Day of the Circassian Flag in Nalchik and the attitude of the Russian authorities towards Circassian repatriates. Kochesoko noted that since leaving Russia, he has not personally been involved in appealing the Justice Ministry's decision to recognize him as a foreign agent and does not follow these cases. "I personally am not involved, but my lawyer is aware [is involved in previous claims]. The authorities came to my parents a couple of times, but they refused to answer their questions," he said. According to Kochesoko, he headed the Circassian public organization "Khabze", but it was closed a year ago by a Russian court decision. "Our organization "Khabze" was closed by a court decision a year ago. The organization was engaged in the popularization of Circassian culture and language, the organization of cultural events, as well as the establishment and maintenance of ties between Circassians in their homeland and in the diaspora. The organization also held events to highlight the problems of federalism and local self-government in the Russian Federation and defended the status of mandatory study and preservation of the national languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation," the activist said. He emphasized that he now lives in Europe and does not take part in the activities of public organizations. “Since I left my homeland, I have never been and am not a member of any organization and act exclusively independently. Yes, I am quite widely known among the Circassian diaspora, and I have traveled to many cities and villages where Circassians live. I met with representatives of many Circassian organizations and individuals, participated in many public events, and thereby became familiar with the situation of our compatriots in a foreign land. Now I have moved to Europe from Turkey,” Kochesoko said. Circassian activist Kase Kik previously told the "Caucasian Knot" that with the arrival of Martin Kochesoko in Turkey, the activities of Circassian communities in that country have intensified. He noted that the increased pressure on activists in Russia with the start of the military operation in Ukraine led to their outflow from the country, but their emigration contributed to the intensification of their activities, since the majority of Circassians live in the diaspora. "In Istanbul, rallies were usually held by federations - separately KAFFED, separately "Cherkesfed", "Patriots of Circassia". With the arrival [in Turkey] of Martin Kochesoko, these rallies united," he said. In 2024, in Russia, according to Roskomnadzor, 13 criminal cases were opened under the article on failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent, lawyer Vladimir Vasilenko, who collaborates with one of the Moscow human rights organizations, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. “The first case under this article (330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) was initiated in 2022 against Golos activist Artem Vazhenkov,” Vasilenko noted. However, according to him, despite the significant number of cases initiated, the practice of their consideration remains unclear. "According to the data of the judicial department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for 2022-2023, not a single case under Article 330.1 was considered in courts of general jurisdiction. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about established practice," the lawyer said. |
| Posted by:badanov |