At trial, ex-Mayor of Makhachkala and ex-Deputy Mayor of Kaspiysk plead not guilty

At the trial in Rostov-on-Don, Said Amirov, a former Mayor of Makhachkala, and Yusup Djaparov, Deputy Mayor of Kaspiysk, refused to plead guilty for the crimes they allegedly committed. The charge was based on the testimonies of witnesses, who were subjected to pressure. This was reported by advocate Vladimir Postanyuk.

On Thursday, in Rostov-on-Don, the court started the first consideration on merits of the case against Said Amirov, ex-Mayor of Makhachkala. After the opening of the court session, a group of advocates of Said Amirov and Yusup Djaparov filed a motion to disqualify three public defenders.

Vladimir Postanyuk, the leader of the group of advocates, has noted that the court interrogates witnesses whose testimonies cannot be the basis of the charge.

"Eighteen months ago, advocates of witnesses for prosecution announced in the media that their clients were subjected to torture Vladimir Postanyuk has stated.

The advocate has also reported that there are other witnesses who, according to him, should have appeared in the court, but they were excluded from the list of witnesses.

Let us remind you that Said Amirov is a figurant of two criminal cases on the plotting of a terror act and on the murder of investigator Arsen Gadjibekov.