18 March 2017, 06:38
State prosecution asks 8 years in prison for Kushtov
The Supreme Court (SC) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has held a debate on the case of Magomed Kushtov, a resident of Ingushetia, accused of abducting Laura Lichtman, an Israeli citizen. The prosecution believes that Kushtov's guilt has been proved, and believes that he should be sentenced to eight years in prison. His defence is convinced that there is no proofs of the defendant's guilt in the case files.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case against Magomed Kushtov was sent to the court on November 16, 2016.
According to investigators, the 22-year-old Israeli citizen Laura Lichtman was kidnapped in Nalchik in July 1999. She was kept in Chechnya and Ingushetia for six months, while the abductors demanded a million US dollars for her release. In December 1999, Ms Lichtman was released by power agents.
Let us remind you that at the session on March 6, Musa Aushev, who in 1999 transported the abducted girl from the city of Terek to the area of the village of Kurp, stated that Magomed Kushtov had not participated in the abduction. Earlier, on February 2, Abukar Kushtov the defendant’s brother confessed that it was he, not Magomed, who kept Laura Lichtman in an apartment in Nazran.
The state prosecutor offered to take the testimonies of the defence witnesses critically. She noted that Magomed Kushtov was confidently recognized by the victim.
The prosecutor pointed to the defendant’s physical disability and his positive characteristics as to mitigating circumstances.
In the opinion of the advocate, Ms Lichtman's testimonies should be taken critically, since 17 years have elapsed; and the court should also take into account her psychological state while in captivity.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Lyudmila Maratova Source: CK correspondent
