The Memorial human rights project has recognized 53-year-old Eduard Atayev from Dagestan as a political prisoner. He is a well-known activist in the republic, a former coordinator of the Golos movement and a member of the electoral commission. In addition, Atayev headed the local branch of the PARNAS party and criticized the war in Ukraine. In November 2023, he was sentenced to six years and five months in prison, found guilty under articles on possession of weapons and explosives (Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code) and drugs (Article 228 of the Criminal Code).

Atayev did not admit guilt - in court, he told how security forces planted drugs during a search, and reported torture and gross violations during the investigation. Eduard Atayev and his defense believe that he is being persecuted for his political activities, and that the criminal case is fabricated. He attributes his persecution to his civic and political position and his opposition to corruption schemes in the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“We analyzed the materials of Atayev’s case and came to the conclusion that his guilt has not been proven. The case is based solely on the results of the search, which was conducted with numerous violations. The investigation did not even try to establish where and when Atayev could have acquired the prohibited items, or what his motive might have been. Apparently, Atayev’s biological traces appeared on the seized items after they were put into his hands after his arrest. Atayev’s case is yet another case of persecution of activists using fabricated criminal cases on the possession of prohibited items. This practice has become especially widespread in the North Caucasus,” Memorial said in a statement.