Karnik Aslanyan states not involved in Zirinov's gang

Karnik Aslanyan, a defendant in the case of Sergey Zirinov, a Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, has assured that he was not a member of the armed grouping and not involved in the indicted crimes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Zirinov's case is considered by the North-Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don since August 2015. The prisoner's dock contains five more persons; they are accused of banditry, murders and illegal arms trafficking. Zirinov has refused to plead guilty.

On June 1, in his first interrogation protocol in the status of a defendant, in July 2013, Aslanyan refused to plead guilty.

During another interrogation, he pled guilty in part, confessing his involvement in the assassination of Vitaly Sadovnichy, Director General of the Sanatorium "Malaya Bukhta" (Small Bay), and his wife.

In the last protocol, Aslanyan refused from his previous testimonies and stated that he could not recollect where he was on the day of the murder and whom he met on that day.

At the court session, all the protocols of Aslanyan's interrogations were read out, said his advocate Sergey Shlyago.

According to his story, the latest Aslanyan's testimonies were read not fully to the jury; the procedural part, where he explained the reasons for changing his testimonies, was omitted.

"Aslanyan said there about pressure and physical enforcement," said Shlyago.

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