Dagestani resident sentenced for aiding terrorists tortured, his advocate claims

Today, in Rostov-on-Don, the court has recognized that Timur Muritov, a resident of Dagestan, convinced his friend to leave for Syria and take part in the conflict on the side of the militants. Timur Muritov was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment. An advocate intends to appeal against the verdict and said that his client was subjected to torture.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Timur Muritov, a citizen of Kazakhstan, detained on suspicion of leading recruiters of the "Islamic State" (IS or ISIL, a terrorist organization, banned in Russia by the court, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"), injured himself during a hearing at the Lenin District Court of Makhachkala on April 4, 2018 in protest against the use of physical force against him, said advocate Israfil Gadadov. According to the advocate, after the detention, Timur Muritov was tortured with electric current, and law enforcers tried to force him to incriminate himself.

At the today's court hearing, the court pronounced the verdict of guilty against Timur Muritov. The defendant was found guilty under articles "aiding and abetting terrorists" and "illicit trafficking in arms and explosives". Timur Muritov was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment in a common-security colony and a fine of 10,000 roubles, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.

In April 2018, advocate Israfil Gadadov claimed that the torture "was repeatedly used" against his client, so he filed several complaints to the Prosecutor's Office. "My client confessed that a grenade allegedly found in his pocket and rounds and an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly found at his house belonged to him. Although in fact all those items were planted to him," the advocate reported.

Giorgi Labadze, an advocate of Timur Muritov, announced the intention to challenge the verdict pronounced against his client.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 1, 2019 at 12:17 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.