Defendants in the case on attack on power agents in Kabardino-Balkaria demand public advocates

The defendants in the case on the events on October 13, 2005, in the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, want to petition again at court about admission of their relatives and friends to the process as public defenders. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt about it from well-informed sources.

The petition addressed to Mohammed Tashuev, Judge of the Supreme Court of the KBR (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic) who is presiding at the process, and signed by defendant Akhkubekov runs, in particular, as follows:

"...The grounds under which you have rejected the petitions of Midov, K. B., Kashirgov, M. S., and others who asked to admit their relatives and friends, who were not witnesses in this criminal case, as public defenders, are unjustified.

By passing this decision you aggravate our position and comprehensively support the prosecution.

Point 21, part 4 of Article 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation runs: "The defendant shall have the right to defend him- or herself by any other means and ways not prohibited by the present Code."

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has reported today that the preliminary hearing on the case dealing with the attack on power agencies of Kabardino-Balkaria will continue on February 20.