More than 360 lawyers from different regions of Russia have signed a petition demanding to investigate the beating of Krasnodar lawyer Mikhail Benyash. Vladimir Kolokoltsev, the Minister of Internal Affairs, has promised to clear out the Benyash's case, said Yuri Pilipenko, the head of the Russian Federal Bar Association (FBA).
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 10, Pavel Chikov, the head of the "Agora" Human Rights Group, posted, in his page on the Facebook, an appeal to the FBA, in which he urged the due state authorities to "efficiently investigate the attack on the lawyer Benyash." On September 11, the Amnesty International (AI), a human rights organization, recognized Mikhail Benyash as a prisoner of conscience and demanded his immediate release.
On September 9, in Krasnodar, in the course of an unsanctioned march of opponents of the pension reform, dozens of people were detained, including Mikhail Benyash, who reported that he was beaten after detention. The court placed the lawyer under arrest for 14 days and sentenced him to 40 hours of compulsory works.
"The attack and kidnapping of our colleague are not a single episode, but a daring attack on the corporation of lawyers," says the appeal to the FPA. Its authors also demand to convoke an open sitting of the FBA and of the commission for the protection of lawyers' professional rights.
As of 10:05 p.m. Moscow time, the appeal in defence of Mikhail Benyash was signed by 365 lawyers from different regions of Russia.
During the today's meeting with Vladimir Kolokoltsev, the Russian Interior Minister, Yuri Pilipenko, the FBA President, reported "on the available information about non-observance of the provisions of the law at detention of Mikhail Benyash."
"The Minister of Internal Affairs has promised to clear out the case," said Mr Pilipenko, as quoted by the "Advocatskaya Gazeta".
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 12, 2018 at 10:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.