Popov, accused of desertion, states at trial that he was beaten at brick factories in Dagestan

In the course of today's court session at the Saratov Garrison Military Court dealing with the desertion case of Private Andrei Popov, who stated earlier about his slavery in Dagestan, the prosecutor announced results of testing Popov by a polygraph (lie detector). Andrei Popov stated that he had been beaten at brick factories in Dagestan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 10 the above court appointed the recognizance not to leave as the freedom restriction measure for Private Andrei Popov, accused of desertion.

The "Interfax" reports that none of the 20 witnesses summoned to today's session has appeared.

"Several witnesses are no longer resident at the addresses indicated in the case files. The majority of them were notified personally, but without explanation failed to appear in the courtroom," the court secretary explained at the session.

"The results of testing Private Andrei Popov by means of a polygraph have confirmed that in 2000 he voluntarily and without any coercion he left his military unit," the RAPSI quotes the prosecutor.

"The test results allow us to conclude that Popov, after leaving the unit (in 2000), for about 20 days spent in Saratov in the basement of the house, whose owner was a one-legged man. He lived in a house near the railway station," said the prosecutor.

According to his story, the polygraph established that in search of earnings Popov went to the district capital Lysye Gory (Saratov Region), where he worked for four days repairing the roof of the hospital.

"It's difficult for me to answer to it," said Popov when asked to confirm the findings of the expert. He also noted that he was not ready to testify about his stay in Saratov after he left his military unit.

Andrei Popov said at the session that he was repeatedly beaten by the guards of the brick factories in Dagestan, where he had worked, according to his story, for about ten years after leaving the military unit, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

"A number of scars on my body were received in the period, when I was in Dagestan; they are results of beatings by Dagestanis. It happens that I refused to go to work. It was at a brick factory on several occasions. They beat me with truncheons and kicked me. When you fall, you can run into a brick," said Popov.

According to his story, he lived in the territory of the factory in a hostel, where there was a little more than ten beds for about 200 workers. "The rest of them slept on the floor. There were guards there; and the hostel was locked for the night," said Popov.

According to his story, the brick factory was commanded by the man named "Doctor Magomed". "Workers received no wages in cash on hand; they promised that everything would be paid at the end of the season. They promised, but few really received their wages," he said.

Then, the Saratov Garrison Military Court has adjourned until January 30 the further consideration of the criminal case against Private Andrei Popov, accused of desertion.