In Dagestan, policeman accused of murdering teenager dismissed

Zaur Djalilov, an employee of the Akhvakh ROVD (District Interior Division), who is accused of murdering Imadibir Makhiev, 16, an 11^th form pupil from the village of Karata, Akhvakh District, was suspended from his work for the period of investigation.

The tragedy happened in Karata at night on April 16. According to eyewitnesses, Zaur Djalilov opened fire to kill from his service pistol at the young men who staged a fight. A bullet got into the head of the 16-year old boy. On April 25, Imadibir Makhiev died in hospital.

"The Federal Court of the Soviet District has decided to dismiss Zaur Djalilov from work. Although we demanded this from the first day; however, the republic's MIA kept telling us that there were no grounds for that," said Denga Makhiev, the uncle of the perished boy.

"Now, the criminal case is run under the article of "causing death by negligence due to improper performance of one's professional duties", said Major of Justice Djambulat Beletov, the investigator of the First Division for especially important cases of the Russian Investigatory Committee for Dagestan.

Earlier, relatives of the deceased boy said that they did not believe in an objective investigation into the incident. Djalilov refuses to plead guilty.