URGENT ACTION
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER’S SENTENCING IS IMMINENT
On 26 November, Oyub Titiev – prisoner of conscience and the head of Russian NGO Memorial’s office in Grozny, who has been in pre-trial detention since 9 January 2018 –  was denied release on bail. Chechnya’s Shali City Court also rejected the request by his lawyers that Oyub not be kept in a cage during hearings. His next hearing is on 10 December. He must be released immediately and unconditionally and all charges against him dropped.
Prominent Chechen human rights defender Oyub Titiev was arrested by police on false drug possession accusations on 9 January 2018 and has remained in detention ever since. On 11 January 2018, Shali City Court in Chechnya ordered the human rights defender be held on remand for two months. The detention was subsequently extended on numerous occasions. The hearing of his case started in Chechnya’s Shali City Court on 19 July 2018 and is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
On 26 November, Oyub Titiev was denied release on bail under the personal guarantee of Grigory Yavlinsky (the Founder of the Russian Democratic Party ‘Yabloko’ and 2018 Presidential Candidate) and Svetlana Gannushkina (Chairman of the Civic Assistance Committee NGO).  The judge also rejected the request by his lawyers that Oyub Titiev not be kept in a cage during hearings. The judge stated that the defence did not present sufficient evidence to mitigate the previous grounds for his arrest and dismissed defence arguments but accepted without questioning every one of the prosecution’s objections to the bail request. Oyub Titiev faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of drug possession.
Amnesty International believes that the case against Oyub Titiev has been fabricated, and he has been put behind bars to silence him and obstruct his organisation’s human rights work. As Oyub Titiev’s trial nears its end, Amnesty International continues to call on the authorities to drop all charges against him and immediately and unconditionally release him.

Please write immediately in Russian or your own language calling on the Russian authorities to:
•	Release Oyub Titiev immediately and unconditionally, and drop all charges against him, as he is a prisoner of conscience detained solely in connection with his legitimate human rights work;
•	Ensure that human rights organisations in Russia, and in Chechnya specifically, including Human Rights Centre Memorial, can work without fear of persecution and intimidation.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 15 JANUARY 2018 TO:
President of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Ul. Ilyinka, 23
103132 Moscow, 
Russian Federation
Fax: +7 495 9102134
Twitter: @KremlinRussia @KremlinRussia_E
Salutation: Dear President
	
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Yuriy Yakovlevich Chaika
Prosecutor General’s Office
ul. B. Dmitrovka, d.15a
125993 Moscow GSP- 3
Russian Federation
Fax: +7495 987 58 41/ +7495 692 17 25
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General

And copies to:
Prosecutor of the Chechen Republic
Sharpuddi Muaidovich Abdul-Kadyrov
Prosecutor’s Office of the Chechen Republic
Ul.  Idrisova d. 42,
Grozny, 36400 
Chechen Republic, Russian Federation
Email:  procurat-chech@mail.ru
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. HIS EXCELLENCY MR ALEXANDER VLADIMIROVICH YAKOVENKO Embassy of Russia 6-7 Kensington Palace Gardens London W8 4QP 020 7229 6412

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. 

This is the third update of UA 5/18. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur46/8400/2018/en/

URGENT ACTION
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER’S SENTENCING IS IMMINENT
ADditional Information
In recognition of his work, Oyub Titiev was awarded the Havel Vaclav Human Rights award by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 8 October 2018; for more information see here. During the award ceremony, the PACE President stated that Oyub Titiev’s “activity in the Republic of Chechnya is very important for the Assembly because we have looked into respect for human rights in this republic in the Federation of Russia and in the Northern Caucasus. We are fully aware of the difficulties that Mr Titiev and his collaborators have to face. This award is a message that we send to all those who work in this region to reassert the rule of law and human rights: carry on – you can rest assured of our support. We represent 800 million citizens here in Europe.”

Further information on UA: 5/18 Index: EUR 46/9507/2018 Issue Date: 4 December 2018