Cannabis Embroiled In Russian Politics

The UK’s Daily Telegraph highlights these “drugs” cases….
Activist arrested in Russia for marijuana days after journalist released in groundless drugs case

Russian journalist has been accused of financing terrorism and an activist of buying marijuana days after a drugs case against an investigative reporter here was closed under public pressure.
Martin Kochesoko, a Circassian activist who had criticised state policies on minorities, has been placed under arrest in Nalchik after officers allegedly found 263 grams of marijuana in his car last week, police told state media on Thursday evening.  
They claimed Mr Kochesoko had made a confession, even though prisoner rights monitors who visited him in confinement previously said he had denied his guilt. 
Pro-government media had previously smeared him as a drug addict and American spy. He faces up to 11 years in prison. More than 3,700 people have signed an online petition to free him. 
The controversial narcotics case comes after Ivan Golunov, a reporter for the popular Latvia-based site Meduza who exposed corruption among Moscow city officials, was released amid an international outcry. 
The interior minister admitted the charges against him were groundless, and Vladimir Putin fired two high-ranking Moscow police officers. More than 550 people were arrested when a Moscow rally in support of Mr Golunov went ahead on Wednesday as a protest against police abuse of drug laws.

Officers have been accused of frequently planting drugs on innocent people, and a third of Russian inmates are in prison on narcotics convictions. 

Oyub Titiyev, a human rights activist in Chechnya, will be released on parole this month after being convicted of controversial marijuana charges, but several other activists and journalists who exposed officials’ malfeasance remain in prison.  
MPs have called for the punishments under the “people’s article” against narcotics use to be relaxed. 
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/15/activist-arrested-russia-marijuana-days-journalist-released/


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