Davud Adakhov, a public activist who defended farmers' rights in Russia's Stavropol region, has been detained, the Telegram channel of the Agrarian Council project reported. The project was created by supporters of conspiracy theorist Svetlana Lada-Rus.
Adakhov, along with other activists, mediated conflicts between farmers and veterinary services. In his view, veterinarians falsified examinations, recorded nonexistent diseases, and demanded that healthy animals be sent to slaughter at reduced prices. The activist also discussed the problem of shrinking pastures, criticized the actions of agro-industrial holdings, and planned to establish a party based on a trade union.
What exactly Adakhov is accused of is not yet known. In 2018, a criminal case was opened against him on charges of inciting hatred or enmity over a blog post, RusNews noted. At the time, his defense pointed to significant violations during the examination and searches.
Adakhov's detention is at least the third case of persecution of farmers' advocates in the past two weeks. Earlier, security forces detained Olga Archibasova, an activist from the Altai region, and Larisa Mikhailova, a participant in the Agrarian Council movement. Both women were sent to pretrial detention on charges of calling for "terrorist" activity over mentions of the Soviet anthem "The Internationale."