19:31, 5 February 2014

HRC "Memorial" recognizes defendant in Nalchik attack case as political prisoner

There is a political motive in prosecution of Rasul Kudaev, says the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", which took the decision to treat Rasul as a political prisoner.

During the attack on Nalchik, undertaken on October 13, 2005, in total 35 law enforcers and militaries, 14 civilians and 92 attackers were killed. The trial of the case began in 2008 and is still on. Most of the defendants refuse to plead guilty. It is planned that the verdict will be announced on June 30 this year.

According to the HRC "Memorial", the defendant Rasul Kudaev has an alibi; and his health condition did not allow him to participate in the attack on Nalchik.

Human rights activists also remind that Kudaev was a prisoner of Guantanamo and believe that upon return to Kabardino-Balkaria he was tortured. Rasul Kudaev's complaint of torture is pending consideration by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

"The HRC 'Memorial' notes that recognition of Rasul Kudaev as political prisoner does not mean that we regard the accusations of all the other defendants same ungrounded," says the release of the HRC, received today by the "Caucasian Knot".