Russia’s SC upholds verdict to convicts under Caliphate case

The Supreme Court (SC) of Russia has upheld the verdict to the natives of Kabardino-Balkaria convicted under the case of an attempt to create a Caliphate with a Sharia form of ruling in the republic. This was reported by Lyudmila Ragulina, an advocate of Islam Shogenov, one of the convicts.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 31, the North-Caucasian District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced the figurants of the above case, namely, Oleg Miskhozhev, Akhmed Balkarov, Islam Shogenov, Ruslan Kipshiev, Kantemir Zheldashev, Arthur Karov, Zaur Tekuzhev and Ruslan Zhugov to 6-16 years in prison.

The court found that the defendants had set up an illegal armed formation (IAF) with the aim of changing the constitutional order. Investigators revealed that they had reburied their comrade Alexander Popov according to Muslim custom and considered it as an outrage against the deceased. Besides, Miskhozhev, Balkarov and Shogenov were accused of attempting Police Colonel Tembotov in December 2013.

Zamimkhan Tkhamokov, who died during the investigation, and Ibragim Gugov, who was killed during the detention, were also found guilty. Most of the defendants have stated that they had given their confessions under torture.

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