Dagestan: oral statements of the parties to take place at Babaev's murder case trial

Today, the Supreme Court of Dagestan will continue considering the murder case of Farid Babaev, leader of the regional branch of the "Yabloko" Party, a public figure and human rights activist; the parties' oral statements will take place.

Farid Babaev was executed on November 21, 2007, at the doorstep of his house in Makhachkala. With heavy gunshot wounds he was hospitalized to the resuscitation ward of the Republic's Clinical Hospital, where 3 days later - on November 24, 2007, - he died without regaining consciousness.

Yesterday, on May 20, the "Yabloko" Party made a special statement on the litigation of Farid Babaev's suspected murderers.

"The 'Yabloko' Party has repeatedly expressed its concern of the barefaced pressure on the witnesses and jurymen by interested persons, as a result of which they changed their evidences given at the preliminary investigation against the defendants or refused from them," says the statement published in the official website of the Party.

On October 30, 2008, Farid Babaev's relatives and their lawyers announced a statement asserting that the pressure on witnesses was rendered by brothers of Sedredin Kanberov, who had been announced into search as the customer of Babaev's murder.

During the second consideration of the case the main witness of the prosecution had not appeared in the courtroom for a long time; then, the state accuser announced that the witness had left with his family to Uzbekistan and read out his evidences given at the preliminary investigation. However, some time later the witness appeared in the courtroom and completely refused from all his evidences against the defendants, which had given at the preliminary investigation and during the first trial.

The leader of the Dagestan branch of the "Yabloko", number one in the Party's election list for Dagestan, Farid Babaev was murdered several days prior to elections to the State Duma. Initially, the political version was regarded as the main one of Babaev's murder, as he had been known in the republic as an oppositionist. He toughly criticized Kerimkhan Abasov, head of the Dokuzparin District and local militiamen for attacking the peaceful demonstration on April 25, 2006.

In the opinion of Farid Babaev's relatives, Kerimkhan Abasov could first of all be interested in his death. As a result of operative-search actions, on March 3, 2008, in the Republic of Yakutia, a certain Rasil Mamedrizaev, a native of Miskindzha village, Dokuzparin District, who said at the preliminary investigation that he had fulfilled the order of Kerimkhan Abasov's son - Abas Abasov.

Also, Seferali Sefimirzoev, Mamedrizaev's fellow villager was arrested; then, Abas Abasov was detained. Some days later Mamedrizaev stated that Abas Abasov was not involved, and the letter was released under recognizance not to leave. On May 23, 2008, Mamedrizaev said that he had changed his evidences under the pressure of the Abasovs' relatives and friends.

In October 2008, a new figurant appeared in the case Sedredin Kanberov, who is now hiding and is in federal search. The investigation puts forward the version that he was the direct customer of the murder. According to Arthur Babaev, Sedredin's brother - Ruzmedin Kanberov, who works at the central office of the local MIA, exerted pressure on witnesses.

On January 20, 2009, the Supreme Court of Dagestan found Rasil Mamedrizaev guilty of murdering Babaev and sentenced him to 16 years of imprisonment. Seferali Sefimirzoev, accused of complicity, was also in the dock, but was acquitted.

The prosecution filed a cassation complaint against this decision to the Supreme Court of Russia. Mamedrizaev's advocate also appealed against it. On June 4, 2009, the Supreme Court of Russia cancelled the verdict and sent the case back to the Supreme Court of Dagestan for a new consideration by another court staff.