In case of IAF in Karachay-Cherkessia, defendant complains about torture

The North-Caucasian District Military Court continues hearings in the case on creation of a sabotage-terrorist grouping in Karachay-Cherkessia. At the trial, defendant Lilit Khozieva spoke about her relations with Amir, the circumstances of a search in her home, and the pressure put on her by law enforcers.

According to investigators, A. Bendenko, the Lilit Khozieva's husband, a resident of Karachay-Cherkessia, born in 1997, was an organizer of a criminal grouping which planned to destabilize the social and political situation in Karachay-Cherkessia by committing terror acts and attacks on law enforcers.

On September 25, at the trial, Lilit Khozieva stated she was not aware that A. Bendenko was an Amir. According to the woman, she did not talk to her husband about politics, did not collect information about location of police checkpoints and did not purchase weapons for her husband.

Further, Lilit Khozieva said that on October 6, 2016, 6-7 men in masks, wearing no certain uniform, broke into their home in Cherkessk and threw her to the ground in front of her child. According to Lilit Khozieva, the law enforcers accused her of rendering resistance, beat and undressed her. They threatened to rape her, take away her child, and throw drugs to her family members. The law enforcers demanded from Lilit Khozieva to sign some documents, and, according to the woman, she finally signed them without even getting to know their content.

According to Lilit Khozieva, after she got an advocate, she tried to retract her testimony and filed complaints to the law enforcement agencies. In response, law enforcers took Lilit Khozieva out of the city with a beanie on her head, put on electric wires on her body, tortured her with electric current and thus forced her to sign new papers.

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