HRW and AI condemn verdict in the case of attack on Nalchik

The verdict to figurants in the case of the attack on Nalchik was a result of torture and a miscarriage of justice, says the human rights organization Amnesty International (AI).

On December 23, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria announced the verdict in the case of the attack on Nalchik in 2005 to 57 defendants contained in the prisoner's dock. Five of them were sentenced to life imprisonment; three were released in the courtroom, since their terms have expired. The remaining defendants were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

The trial made use of defendants' testimonies obtained under torture; therefore the verdict is a miscarriage of justice, says the statement released today by the AI.

"This is a classic case of criminal injustice, when authorities have manifestly refused to investigate applications about torture, despite the overwhelming evidence," said Sergey Nikitin, the director of the AI's Moscow office, whose words are cited on the AI's website.

His colleagues from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have also accused Russian authorities of their refusal to investigate the evidence of facts of torture presented by defendants.

"Forensic examinations showed that 12 defendants were tortured," said Rachel Denber, the HRW's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia. "Authorities should, finally, start conducting effective and impartial investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.