In Ingushetia, trial on "Case of Twelve" will pass without jury

The fate of 12 defendants, accused of the attack on Ingushetia in June 2004, will be decided by a board of three professional judges. This decision was made by the Republic's Supreme Court at the session on the case which held on June 17 in the city of Magas.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent knew about it from the advocate of one of the defendants.

Thus, the petition of the prosecution demanding to hold the trial without a jury was satisfied. The court motivated its decision by the amendments made in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) last December, according to which the criminal cases related to terrorism and other anti-state crimes are excluded from consideration by juries.

At the same time, the defence disagreed with the decision of the court and plans to appeal against it at higher judicial instances.

"Some of the defendants are charged under the articles not mentioned in the amendments to the CCP, namely: "Encroachment on employees of law enforcement bodies" (Article 317), "Illegal bearing of arms" (222), "Banditism" (209), "Organization of a criminal community" (210), etc.; thus, they are not covered by the new legislation," the advocates assert.