Court ignores Cherkasov's evidence about errors in case of Karpyuk and Klykh

At the court session on the case of Nikolai Karpyuk and Stanislav Klykh in Chechnya, which the journalists attacked in Ingushetia were going to cover, Alexander Cherkasov, the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", was questioned. He told the jury about the errors committed by investigators. However, the judge refused to add the analysis of the case made by rights defenders to the case files.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Karpyuk and Klykh are charged with involvement in the killings of at least 30 soldiers and wounding of at least 13 others during the First Chechen War. They deny their involvement in the conflict and claim being tortured during the investigation.

On March 9, Alexander Cherkasov, defence witness was questioned; during the First Chechen War he was engaged in searching for missing people and maintaining the databases.

He doubted the testimonies of the defendants and the prosecution witness Alexander Malofeev about fighting in the vicinity of Minutka Square on December 31, 1994, and in the first days of 1995. According to his story, by that time, there were no Russian troops there; and up to February 6, 1995, the area was the rear of the Chechen armed formations.

Besides, Malofeev had argued that the Ukrainian fighters tortured captured Russian soldiers in the house in Pervomaiskaya Street in February 1995, when the area was already deep in the rear of the Russian troops, said Cherkasov.

Speaking about the 30 militaries, allegedly killed by Karpyuk and Klykh, Cherkasov said that 18 of them were killed at a considerable distance from the places where, according to the prosecution, the defendants had fought.

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