Anonymous witness evidences at trial on Nalchik attack

On August 3, at the court session in Nalchik on the events on October 13, 2005, an anonymous witness hidden under a pseudonym of "Alexander Semyonov", a fighter of a special-purpose militia unit (known as "OMSN") of the Kabardino-Balkarian MIA, gave his evidence.

Prior to interrogating the witness, Galina Gorislavskaya, chair of the court, asked the opinion of the parties in process as to holding interrogation of the witness in the conditions, which exclude his visual observation, with the aim to ensure his safety.

State prosecutor Olga Chibinyova has stated that "the witness is a working militiaman, and in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria and Northern Caucasus attacks on militiamen continue."

In the opinion of the defence there are no grounds to make witnesses secret, and nobody threatens them. In the opinion of Magomed Abubakarov, without visual observation it is difficult to judge, whether a witness tells the truth.

In the opinion of defendant Mironov, the reason of making witnesses secret is not that someone threatens them, but that "we can recognize those who violently treated us, who tortured and abused us," but, as the defendant continued, "let them not worry, I personally can't recognize nothing but their boots."

Advocate Abubakarov asked if violence had been used to the detainees, to what the witness said that yes, they were beaten. When asked about the aim of beating, he said: "This was the work of operative agents." To all other questions on the topic the witness answered: "I don't know, I don't remember."