Vladikavkaz: five protesters against self-isolation sentenced to real prison terms

A court in Rostov-on-Don has found five participants in the 2020 rally in Vladikavkaz guilty of participating in mass riots and sentenced them to terms ranging from three years and ten months to four years and three months of freedom deprivation in a general security colony.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 20, 2020, law enforcers dispersed a rally held by opponents of the self-isolation regime from Freedom Square in Vladikavkaz; protesters demanded resignation of the government and the head of North Ossetia. According to the investigators, 13 employees of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and fighters of the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard) received traumas at that spontaneous rally. Vadim Cheldiev, whom investigators treat as the initiator of the rally, has been charged under four articles at once; he has been put on the list of extremists compiled by the "Rosfinmonitoring" (Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation).

On July 7, the Pervomaisky District Court of Rostov-on-Don issued a guilty verdict against five participants in the mass riots in Vladikavkaz, the TASS writes with reference to the Joint Court Service of the Rostov Region.

The court has established that Eric Bestaev, Soslan Dzansokhov, Sarmat Kadiev, Taimuraz Kadiev and Uruzmag Koniev took part in the April 2020 riots, as a result of which not only property was destroyed in Vladikavkaz, but means that were dangerous to life and health of people were also used. An aggravating factor was that the detainees actively resisted policemen; and Eric Bestaev turned out to be the owner of illegally acquired firearms and cartridges that he carried with him, the "RostovGazeta" outlet has reported.

Bestaev has been sentenced to four years and three months; the Kadievs – to four years each; and Dzansokhov and Koniev – to three years and ten months each in colony, the outlet has clarified.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 7, 2022 at 08:51 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.