Defence in Akhmedilov's murder challenges court's refusal to return case to Prosecutor's Office

The defence of Murad Shuaibov, a defendant in the case on the murder of journalist Abdulmalik Akhmedilov, has filed an appeal to the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan against the dismissal of the motion to return the criminal case to the Prosecutor's Office.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Abdulmalik Akhmedilov, the executive secretary of the newspaper "Istina" (Truth) and the editor of the newspaper "Sogratl", was killed in August 2009. According to prosecutors, the journalist was shot dead by Murad Shuaibov and his friend Isa Abdurakhmanov was driving a car. The both defendants pleaded not guilty. On August 4, the court started to question defendant Murad Shuaibov, and he had once against pleaded not guilty.

According to Adilgerei Omarov, an advocate of Murad Shuaibov, on April 18, 2014, Murad Shuaibov lodged to the court a written motion to return the criminal case against him to the Prosecutor's Office in connection with the withdrawal of the criminal case of numerous documents, including materials of questioning. According to the advocate, on the same day, the court has pronounced the decision to dismiss the motion.

Adilgerei Omarov has added that the court's decision had been challenged several times. On August 18, the defence filed an appeal to the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan against the decision of the Lenin District Court of Makhachkala on the refusal to return the criminal case to the Prosecutor's Office.

According to Adilgerei Omarov, in future, they may file appeals to the next possible instances the courts of Moscow and Strasbourg.