HRC "Memorial": face and hands of Sabina Abakarova accused of possessing "shahid belt" bear no traces of hexogen

In Dagestan, at the trial in the case against Sabina Abakarova, a local resident accused of illegal possession of weapons, the court has started to consider the written evidence. The defence has reported the results of the examination, which revealed no traces of explosive substances on the defendant's hands and face. This was stated in the release of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" received by the "Caucasian Knot" on July 10.

On June 7, 2013, the National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) reported on two "shahid belts", each of them with power of about 200 grams of TNT equivalent, found in houses in Makhachkala. According to updated information, Patimat and Sabina Abakarova were involved in the storage of the above improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The women were common-law wives of the leaders of the "Makhachkala" criminal grouping, who had been killed earlier. Relatives of the young women have claimed that the IEDs were planted to them.

On July 7, 2014, at the court session of the Soviet District Court of Makhachkala in the case against Sabina Abakarova, the defendant's advocate Konstantin Mudunov declared his client was chosen for planting a "shahid belt", since she was a "strictly practicing Muslim, she wore hijab, and she also was a cousin of Patimat Abakarova, who had been sentenced earlier."

The advocate has mentioned the results of the forensic examination of June 28, 2013, and reported that experts had taken washing samples from the Sabina Abakarova's face and hands and revealed no traces of explosive substances.

Furthermore, the advocate has noted that a defence witness Maligat Abakarova, the mother of the defendant testified that the IED had been planted and actually reported to the court about the crime. According to the release, Mudunov believes the above testimony should initiate a check.