Trial of Fatima Margieva postponed

The planned today's session on Fatima Margieva, a teacher of the South-Ossetian State University, accused of firearm and explosive illegal purchase and storage, has been postponed till March 18. The reason is in the problems with the stay in Tskhinvali of Margieva's lawyer, who is from Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia).

From the midday till 4 p.m. journalists, defendant's relatives and Russian human rights defenders kept standing in the lobby of the court building waiting for the trial to start.

Elena Kaloeva, Margieva's daughter, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "they intentionally protract the litigation at the prosecutor's office, namely - Eldar Kokoev, Deputy General Public Prosecutor."

"We've gathered all the necessary documents for the work of the lawyer from another city in South Ossetia. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of South Ossetia sent a letter to the Prosecutor's Office that a foreign lawyer can really take part in my mother's case, as there are no state secret in it, but the Prosecutor's Office rejected out request," Ms Kaloeva said.

In his turn, Eldar Kokoev, Deputy General Public Prosecutor, said that "under the law, the request may be considered for ten days, while an advocate can then be accredited within three months; therefore, until the Office satisfies the request of the Ministry of Justice, the lawyer should refrain from any professional work."

Judge Dmitri Tekhov has also refrained from any comments: "As a judge, I have no right to give any interviews and make comments on the cases I run and pass verdicts."