02:34, 28 September 2016

In case of caliphate in KBR, defenders treat prosecutors' version as "far-fetched"

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

On September 27, the North-Caucasian District Military Court held a hearing in the case of an attempt to create a Sharia state in the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR). During the court hearing, an indictment was read out. Advocates of the defendants claimed lack of description of the objective side of the crimes in the indictment, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

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.

Advocate Ragulina, who represents the interests of Islam Shagenov, has claimed that the indictment contains "general phrases, difficult for understanding," which do not include any specific information. The advocate has also drawn attention to the identity of indictments filed against Shagenov and Miskhozhev.

Timur Lakunov, an advocate of defendant Kipshiev, has also pointed out at the trial to the uniformity of the defendants' confessions, which were obtained during the preliminary investigation.

According to Marietta Arutyunyan, an advocate of Ibragim Gugov, this is a very strange trial.

"I believe the charge filed against my client Ibragim Gugov is far-fetched and groundless," Marietta Arutyunyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent after the court hearing.

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

Source: CK correspondent