Witnesses: Orlov did have reasons for accusations against Kadyrov

Kadyrov might have been involved in organizing attempts at four of his critics and there is a number of proofs of this in the materials of criminal cases, witness Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya stated at the trial on the accusation of slander at Ramzan Kadyrov against Oleg Orlov, Head of "Memorial" Human Rights Center (HC) on December, 16. Andrey Krasnenkov, Kadyrov's attorney, called this statement slander.

It should be reminded that on December, 16, during next in turn trial in Moscow on the criminal case against Oleg Orlov, Head of HC "Memorial", in connection with his statements about the responsibility of President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov for Natalia Estemirova's murder, member of HC "Memorial" Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya and Deputy Director of the Moscow office of international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" Tatyana Lokshina gave evidence.

"There are no criminal cases against Kadyrov, however, there are cases where he is mentioned in one or another context and cases on accusations against people from his inner circle", Sokiryanskaya said.

According to the human rights activist, there are four of such cases: case of Salikh Masaev who in his complaint to the European Court accused Kadyrov of tortures after which he disappeared in Grozny; case of Salim Yamadaev's murder in Dubai for which Kadyrov's personal stableman was condemned; case of an attempt at Isa Yamadaev in Moscow and case of Umar Israilov's murder in Vienna.

Evidence of a number of witnesses, defendants and other proofs on the above mentioned cases offer one reasons to suspect Kadyrov of having been the "customer" of all these crimes which in the opinion of Henry Reznik, Orlov'a attorney, confirms justifiability of the statements of Head of HC "Memorial" concerning Kadyrov.

It should be said that Kadyrov himself has time and again stated his non-participation in Israilov's murder and the rest of the above mentioned crimes. He considers the accusations against him a provocation.

Both witnesses evidenced that Estemirtova had received threats from the President of Chechnya which according to their information he had voiced to her personally and through the medium of his people.

"They are evidently slandering, they are speaking of high-profile cases without knowing anything about them and in this way they are dramatizing Orlov's position", Andrey Krasnenkov, the sufferer's attorney, said to a reporter of "Caucasian Knot" commenting on the evidence of the witnesses of defense.

In particular, according to him, Umar Israilov murdered in Austria this January had submitted to the European Court a complaint with farfetched accusations against Kadyrov after he realized that he might be sentenced to life imprisonment in Chechnya for his grave crimes.

The next session will be held on January, 13, 2011. Interrogation of the witnesses of defense is expected to be continued.