Kuban pensioners were brought to Rostov-on-Don for consideration of their case

The case materials against Nikolai Nabiev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, who are accused of creating an illegal armed group, have been submitted to the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don. Nabiev is hospitalized with a third heart attack.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," pensioners Nikolai Nabiyev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group, complained of health problems in pretrial detention. Relatives stated that they learned about their condition from lawyers, and the defendants were denied visits with their families. According to a witness, the defendants were involved in public activities and were unfoundedly accused of creating an illegal armed group. In April, the prosecutor requested sentences of 11 to 12.5 years in prison for the defendants. The defendants refused to plead guilty. On June 6, the Uspensky District Court of the Krasnodar Territory declined to sentence them and referred the case to the Southern District Military Court. Kuzovenko and Zakharova appealed this decision .

On December 18, at 2:00 PM Moscow time, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don will begin hearing the case of Kuban pensioners Nikolai Nabiev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group. A representative of the court, which received the case, told a KU correspondent: "The case is closed. All defendants have been transported to Rostov-on-Don."

According to relatives of Kuzovenko and Zakharova, the Krasnodar Regional Court heard their appeals on November 24, upheld the Uspensky District Court's ruling, and their case was sent to the Southern District Military Court. "Marina Zakharova was released from the Armavir pretrial detention center to Rostov-on-Don on December 7, and Kuzovenko was transferred from Armavir to Rostov at 1:00 a.m. on December 17," a relative told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on condition of anonymity.

Nikolai Nabiev, suffering his third heart attack, ended up in a Rostov hospital after being transported, where he remains to this day. "They still haven't allowed me to see my father. He's in serious condition in the hospital," his daughter told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the pensioners' lawyers, their clients are charged under Article 63, paragraph "p," of the Russian Criminal Code (committing crimes for the purpose of promoting, justifying, or supporting terrorism), as an aggravating circumstance. "By law, this is grounds for trial in a military court. Whether the charge is justified or not will be determined during the trial," one of the lawyers told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the defense, there's "more procedural order" in the military court. As for the court's practice, it's not in their clients' favor; even despite their age, they receive harsh punishments. 

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