12:47, 23 August 2016

Trial in case of caliphate in Kabardino-Balkaria postponed

The North-Caucasian District Military Court. Photo: RFE/RL

The North-Caucasian District Military Court has postponed to September 6 the court hearing scheduled for today in the case of an attempt to create in Kabardino-Balkaria a caliphate with Sharia form of government. The court hearing was postponed, since defendants were not brought to Rostov-on-Don.

The criminal case involves 10 persons as defendants. They are Oleg Miskhozhev, Zalimkhan Tkhamokov, who died during the preliminary investigation, and eight friends of Oleg Miskhozhev, including Balkarov, Kipshiev, Shogenov, Karov, Tekuzhev, Gugov, Zhugov, and Zheldashev. According to investigators, they were members of an illegal armed formation (IAF) "United Vilayat of Kabarda, Balkaria and Karachay," and their aim was to establish in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) the "Islamic State - Caliphate with Sharia form of government" (banned in Russia). The organization "United Vilayat of Kabarda, Balkaria and Karachay" is also banned in Russia.

The trial has been postponed, since the defendants were not brought to Rostov-on-Don, the RIA "Novosti" reports with reference to the press service of the North-Caucasian District Military Court.

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