Searches at Memorial, Civic Assistance Committee connected to Khamroyev case

MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - The searches at the Memorial human rights center, International Memorial historical and educational society, and the Civic Assistance Committee (all three organizations are designated as foreign-agent NGOs in Russia, the Memorial human rights center has been liquidated) are connected to a criminal case against Bakhrom Khamroyev, a member of the Memorial human rights center, Civic Assistance Committee head Svetlana Gannushkina told Interfax on Friday.

"They said I was going to speak about Bakhrom Khamroyev. Generally, this whole story, and at Memorial, is connected to the criminal case opened against Bakhrom Khamroyev," Gannushkina told Interfax.

The Civic Assistance Committee head said she and her lawyer were on their way to the Federal Security Service to be questioned as a witness.

Federal Security Service officials seized a server during a search of the committee's office. The law enforcement officials were polite, but a lawyer was not allowed to be present during the investigative actions, she said.

The Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) earlier on Friday included Bakhrom Khamroyev in the list of individuals and organizations on which there is information on their involvement in extremist or terrorist activities.

In late February, Memorial reported the detention of Khamroyev in connection with a case associated with justification of terrorism on the Internet.

Interfax currently has no comments on this matter from law enforcement agencies.

A criminal case has been opened against Khamroyev based on the article of the Criminal Code dealing with making public calls for terrorist activities, justification or propaganda of terrorism using the mass media or the Internet, the Civic Assistance Committee press service said.