A Circassian activist was fined in absentia for failing to fulfill his duties as a "foreign agent."
A native of Kabardino-Balkaria, Circassian activist Martin Kochesokov was found guilty by the republic's Baksan District Court of violating the law on "foreign agents." A fine of 3,000 rubles was imposed for failing to submit reports to the Ministry of Justice, as required by law for "foreign agents."
In March, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Martin Kochesokov on the wanted list. In mid-2024, a criminal case was opened against him for failing to fulfill his duties as a "foreign agent." The case involved the failure to properly label his social media posts. He is known to reside outside of the Russian Federation.
In 2021, Martin Kochesokov, the head of the public organization "Khabze," received a three-year suspended sentence for drug possession. He was detained on June 7, 2019, in Kabardino-Balkaria on the Kavkaz highway; marijuana was allegedly found in his car. The activist maintained his innocence, claiming that the drugs were planted on him by security forces. He spent several months in pretrial detention and under house arrest.
Human rights activists claim that Kochesokov's persecution was related to his public stance, calling for the study of the national languages of the peoples living in Russia, and for popular elections of regional leaders instead of their appointment by Moscow.
