RF Supreme Court to consider the case of Badalov and Ahmetkhanov, Chechnya natives

At 10 a.m. on January 31, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (RF) will consider the supervisory presentation of the State Office of Public Prosecutor, lodged in protest to the decision of the Judicial Board on Criminal Cases of the Russian Supreme Court, which cancelled the verdict in relation to two Chechnya natives and their helpers, convicted by the Tver Regional Court for extortion with application of violence, robbery, kidnapping and ammunition possession. The correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" was informed about it by Ruslan Badalov, chairman of the human rights organization "Chechen Committee for National Salvation" and elder brother of convict Bislan Badalov.

On September 14, 2005, Bislan Badalov and Hasambek Ahmetkhanov, natives of Chechnya, were sentenced to 13 years, and their comrades Alexander Ivanov and Nikolai Uglanov - to 12 and 11 years of imprisonment in a strict custody colony, accordingly. On July 24 last year, the Judicial Board on Criminal Cases of the Russian Supreme Court cancelled the verdict and sent the case to new consideration to the Tver Regional Court by a new staff of judges. The former convicts were left behind the bars.

The accusation has not agreed with the cancellation of the guilt verdict and addressed the Presidium of the Supreme Court with a supervisory presentation requesting to cancel the decision of the Judicial Board on Criminal Cases of the RF Supreme Court "on Ahmetkhanov and others' case" and to send it to a new cassation consideration.

Human rights defenders think the case to be forged.