Arrest of Khamid Razhapov and Tsetiev brothers extended for six months

The Scherbinsky Moscow District Court held the preliminary hearing in the case against Said-Magomed and Khusein Tsetiev and Khamid Razhapov, residents of Chechnya. The pre-trial restriction measure against the defendants is extended by six months.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Said-Magomed and Khusein Tsetiev and Khamid Razhapov, residents of Chechnya, were detained on September 21-23, 2014. Investigators believe that the defendants beat three staff members of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) in the Moscow village of Vnukovo. On January 16, the defendants' advocates filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), in which they reported on the refusal of the preliminary investigation bodies to check the alibi of the defendants.

On September 18, at the court hearing held behind closed doors with the participation of the public prosecutor, the defendants and their defenders, the Court addressed the issue on the change of pre-trial restriction measure against the defendants and on the appointment of the date for the hearing on the merits. This has been told today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by advocate Tatiana Okushko.

According to the advocate, the public prosecutor requested for the extension of pre-trial restriction measure in the form of detention in custody against Khusein Tsetiev and Khamid Razhapov for six months, starting since September 22. Besides, the public prosecutor requested for the extension of the house arrest of Said-Magomed Tsetiev for the same period.

The advocates opposed the deprivation of liberty of defendants Khusein Tsetiev and Khamid Razhapov and stated that the defendants were not involved in the crime and that their detention in custody is illegal and unreasonable.

After listening to the opinions of the parties, the Court granted the request of the public prosecutor and extended the pre-trial restriction measure against the defendants for other six months. Besides, according to advocate Tatiana Okushko, the Court also pronounced the decision to consider the case behind closed doors.

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