Relatives of the convict for blowing up a bus in Nevinnomyssk want to appeal against his verdict

Relatives of Ruslan Kostoev who was sentenced for blowing up a bus in the city of Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Territory, object to the court verdict and are going to appeal against it, as Ruslan's mother - Tamara Kostoeva - said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Let us remind you that on December 9, 2007, a Pyatigorsk-Stavropol passenger bus was blown up in the bus station of the city of Nevinnomyssk. Three persons were killed and seventeen more wounded. Kostoev was found guilty of committing the explosion.

On September 9, 2008, the court sentenced Kostoevа and Tsuroev to 24 and 23 years of imprisonment accordingly with serving the first 5 years in prison, and the remaining term - in high security colony. However, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation sent the case to repeated consideration, having cancelled the verdict to Kostoev and Tsuroev because of contradictions in evidences of the main witness of the prosecution.

On March 27, 2009, the Stavropol Territorial Court sentenced Ruslan Kostoev to 24 years of imprisonment in high security colony with serving the first years in prison.

"In fact, a terrible injustice took place. My son was convicted for what he never made. The materials of the case have not a single proof of his guilt. There is only his confession knocked out of him under torture and extremely contradictory evidences of witnesses," said Tamara Kostoeva.

The convict's mother said that she had filed complaints "to all bodies of supervision, and law and order both of the Stavropol Territory and of the federal centre; however, seeing no result, she decided to address media in her last hope to be heard."

Under the statement of the mother, Kostoev's body still keeps metal objects, hammered under his skin in the torture during the inquiry. He was regularly beaten by operative workers, who made injections, after which he lost orientation in time and space.

Ruslan's brother - Bashir Kostoev - told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that in the beginning of 2009 he found his brother "dressed in torn dirty rags, in worn-out slippers and beaten." According to Bashir, Ruslan asked to bring him some poison - he wanted to commit suicide.

"Then, I managed to calm him down. My brother told me that they showed him photos of our destroyed house and of me killed; he was told that our mother and sister had been sent to North Ossetia because he refused to sign what they wanted," said Bashir Kostoev.