In Dagestan, RFSDTC officer accused of attempt on local MP

Lieutenant Colonel Mukhtar Agaev, an officer of the Dagestan Department of the Russian Federal Service for Drug Trafficking Control (RFSDTC) is accused of organizing an illegal armed formation (IAF) and attempt on the life of Shamil Isaev, a Deputy of the National Assembly of Dagestan.

Mukhtar Agaev is charged under Articles 208 ("Organization of IAF or participation therein") and 277 ("Infringement on life of state or public figure") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Friends and relatives of the accused Lieutenant Colonel link the criminal prosecution organized against him with Mr Agaev's participation in the work of the Foundation "Society Sogratl", which criticized the work of the Dagestan militia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in August 2008 a rally was held in Makhachkala with a demand of resignation of the then Interior Minister of Dagestan Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, organized by the NGO "Homeland" and Foundation "Society Sogratl".

"The repeated requests of the President of the republic not to put forward the demand of resignation of the Minister of Interior have forced the organizers later to lift the resignation demand," Gadjimurad Kamalov, director of the LLC "Freedom of Speech" and founder of the "Chernovik" newspaper, said then to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "However, the organizers threatened to hold another action on October 10 and demanded a complex audit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). Should the respective federal commissions fail to start the audit, the protesters promised to move the resignation demand again."

According to Mr Kamalov, from that moment on, the primary goal of the MIA leaders was to defame as many rally participants as possible. The main target was chosen in the person of lieutenant colonel Mukhtar Agaev, a member of the Public Board of the Foundation "Society Sogratl", an RFSDTC officer, a special troops fighter, a classman of combat and professional training and a champion of the all-Russian competition in hand-to-hand fighting.

According to Gadjimurad Kamalov, on the eve of the rally, certain people came up to Mukhtar Agaev with threats; Sakhratula Magomedtagirov, brother of the former Interior Minister, was among them. A couple of days after the conversation, on October 3, 2008, Mukhtar Agaev was detained.

He was accused of encroaching on the life of his relative Shamil Isaev, a Deputy of the National Assembly of Dagestan, and of about 20 other persons. According to law enforcers, Mukhtar Agaev was sending notes with the names of these people to a certain Mamed Kurbanov for "execution".

According to Mr Kamalov, Mukhtar Agaev is not only a fellow villager and relative of Shamil Isaev, but also a close friend and a schoolmate of Isaev's younger brother.

On September 7 and 8, the Supreme Court of Dagestan held hearings on the criminal case opened against Mukhtar Agaev.

As reported by the Dagestan newspaper "Chernovik" (No. 37 dated 11.09.2009), to the question of the court and advocates about the charges presented to Agaev, each of the hidden witnesses said that "...they heard from their fellows villager that Mukhtar Agaev had purchased arms and organized training camps," although not a single fact was duly explained.