14:43, 4 September 2013

MCC refuses to change freedom restriction for two suspects in Politkovskaya's murder case

Today, the Moscow City Court (MCC) has refused to release Djabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, kept behind bars for involvement in killing the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, on bail.

The Makhmudov brothers were placed into custody on September 2 at the request of the prosecution, which had treated their trips on July 8-15 from Moscow to Chechnya, North Ossetia, Dagestan and the Tula Region as violations of their recognizance not to leave.

The advocate Murad Musaev said that the Makhmudovs did not give any written undertaking not to leave Moscow, but only committed not to change their residence without a permit of the investigator; therefore, the court was wrong by putting them in custody.

However, the prosecutor Boris Loktionov has found the placement of the Makhmudovs in custody quite lawful, because "their earlier measure of restraint was grossly violated."

For the first time during the trial, Vera Politkovskaya, the daughter of the casualty, has visited the session.

Author: Yulia Buslavskaya

Source: CK correspondent