(RFE/RL)
6 December 2005 -- An international human rights group has protested the detention of a Russian rights activist in the southern region of Daghestan, saying it believes the charges against him were fabricated.
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights said on 5 December that Osman Boliev, head of the human rights NGO Romashka, was detained on 15 November at his home in Khasavyurt and remains in custody.
The group said in a statement that a hand grenade was planted on him, serving as grounds for charging him with illegal possession of weapons.
A letter sent to the top prosecutor in Daghestan and other Russian officials asked for Boliev's immediate release and a criminal case to be opened against local police.
The group said the activist had been investigating the 2004 kidnapping of a local man and had sent his case to the European Court of Human Rights.
(AP)
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
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