16:56, 12 December 2013

Verdict for Akhtakhanov's murder is unduly harsh and will be appealed against, advocates promise

The verdict passed by the Savyolovo District Court of Moscow, as well as the punishment appointed thereby for the murder of the Chechen poet Ruslan Akhtakhanov, will be appealed against, said the advocates of the defendants Mairbek Umaev and Zelimkhan Karimov.

The Chechen poet Ruslan Akhtakhanov, who stood for the preservation of Chechnya within Russia, as well as for the development of his republic as secular, was killed on November 16, 2011, in Moscow. The defendants in the case were the natives of Chechnya Mairbek Umaev and Zelimkhan Karimov, who refused to plead guilty.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 9 the above court found the defendants Umaev and Karimov guilty and sentenced them to 12 and 10 years in prison respectively.

"On December 9, we lodged an application for the issuance of the protocols of the court session; and we intend to appeal against the verdict, after getting its copy," an advocate Shamsudin Tsakaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent at the end of the court session.

The advocates have reiterated that their clients are innocent.

Author: Yulia Buslavskaya

Source: CK correspondent