Advocates of Dagestan residents suspected of rape, assert their innocence

The investigatory bodies have extended by a month the custody term of eight natives of Dagestan accused of a group rape of a resident of Astrakhan. The defendants' advocates have addressed the President of the country and Russian Ombudsman asking to restore justice and defend the rights of the Dagestan residents.

According to advocates, the detainees are illegally kept in custody under a false indictment put forward by the Investigatory Committee of the Astrakhan Region on June 30, 2009.

Then, the investigation initiated a criminal case on the fact of a group rape and violent sexual actions against a girl of 25, Category 1 hearing and speech invalid.

As reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by advocates of the detainees Magomed Magomedov and Dzhamal Dzhamalov, the detention was and the investigation is accompanied by rough violations of the law.

"The detention protocol was drawn up 22 hours later, with an illegal delay by 19 hours," said Mr Dzhamalov. "The investigation needed it to justify the illegal detention of people for more than 48 hours."

As reported by Mr Magomedov, the investigation conducted by a whole team of inspectors last for more than six months but sees no progress. Besides, until December 20-22, neither the defendants, nor the advocates were acquainted with the conclusions of the last examination, although inspectors received them back on August 24.

The advocates assert that the conclusions are already the grounds to stop the criminal case. No traces of rape or other facts to prove that force was applied to the victim were detected on her body. No traces of crime were also revealed on the things of the suffered girl.

According to the lawyers, out of eight detained Dagestan citizens four are minors.