Dagestan: accused militants' accomplice released from the courtroom

In Dagestan the court has acquitted Arsen Dzhanbatyrov in exchange of him giving up. Prior to criminal prosecution Dzhanbatyrov was registered as kidnapped.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the court has acquitted Mr Dzhanbatyrov from prosecution under Article 208, part 2 (participation in an illegal armed formation) since he had pled guilty. On two episodes of Article 222, part 2 (illegal purchase and transfer of firearms), he was acquitted. For a crime under Article 316 (unpledged concealment of a person who has committed an especially grave crime), Arsen Dzhanbatyrov, who had allegedly given shelter to Sultanali Arslangereev, suspected of murdering a mosque imam, was found guilty, and the court sentenced him to six months of imprisonment.

However, since Dzhanbatyrov was arrested on June 12 last year, his term has expired, and he was released right in the courtroom.

Arsen Dzhanbatyrov was on the list of persons kidnapped by law enforcement bodies was registered in lists of the law enforcement bodies compiled by the human rights organization "Dagestan Mothers for Human Rights". According to the investigation, Dzhanbatyrov was kidnapped by his fellows in arms from the illegal armed formation (IAF). The militants, the investigation states, wanted to find out what Dzhanbatyrov had told to the militia and tortured him in the territory of Chechnya. Having learnt that he was of no danger, they left him on the border with Chechnya in a forest of the Novolakskiy District. Later he was found there by militiamen.

However, in the court Dzhanbatyrov gave up this version and presented another one. He has stated he had been kidnapped by law enforcement bodies.

According to his story, he was beaten, tortured with electricity, "drowned in the sea", given no food and not allowed to sleep at night. Also, the kidnappers had staged his execution several times.