Judges considering attack on Baksan HPP refuse to question power agents

At the trial on the case of the attack on the Baksan Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), interrogation of six witnesses failed, as they came to the session without their IDs.

Let us remind you that at the previous session on September 20, two witnesses were questioned - the employees of the Baksan ROVD (District Interior Division), who conducted the inquiry. Also, the court announced the materials of the criminal case.

Today it was planned to question employees of special units, whose names had been made secret back at the preliminary investigation.

They were awarded pseudonyms "Maxim", "Sergey Sergeevich", "Filat", "Vasily", "Stanislav" and "Mironov Antuan".

According to the prosecutor, these witnesses are current employees of special units, involved in counterterrorist operations. According to Article 285 of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure, for their safety they should be questioned in the anonymous manner.

However, lawyers Dalkhat Doduev and Zaur Shomakhov raised objections. Thus, Mr Shomakhov said that there was no evidence that anyone threatened these witnesses.

"I see no reason why they should be kept secret," said the lawyer, and motioned that the witnesses be questioned in the usual order.

The lawyer Doduev also asked to question the above witnesses in public.

The court offered him to present his petition in writing. The lawyer said that recalled his petition and left the decision to the discretion of the court, so as not to protract the litigation.

The court decided to examine the witnesses in the conditions excluding visual contact.

The witnesses were invited to the side entrance to the courtroom, so that only the members of the court could see them.

"Sergey Sergeevich" was invited the first. When the judges asked him to present his ID, he could show only his driver's license. The court found some mismatch between the data in the case files and the document and dismissed the witness.

The other secret witnesses had no documents at all; their questioning was postponed till September 27.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the attack on the Baksan HPP was committed on July 21, 2010. The attackers killed two securities and blew up the power hall of the plant. As a result of the blasts and subsequent fire three plant generators were damaged. The HPP was stopped for long.

The prisoner's dock keeps residents of Baksan Timur Shebzukhov, born in 1987, and Murat Shogenov, born in 1985. The defendants refuse to admit their guilt.