The defendants in the hostage-taking case at the Rostov SIZO made their final statements in court.

Five defendants in the hostage-taking case at SIZO-1 in Rostov-on-Don spoke in court via video link for their final statements. Daniil Kamnev refused to say anything, while Ramzan Albekov, Magomed Alkhanov, and Malik Gandaloev stated that they had nothing to add to their previously stated position.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 15, it became known that the representative of the prosecution demanded from 28 to 30 years of imprisonment for the defendants in the hostage-taking case at the Rostov SIZO in the summer of 2024.

On September 3, in the Southern District Military Court, five defendants spoke at the stage of their final statements via video link, after which the court retired to the deliberation room to deliver a verdict. All defendants supported the positions of their lawyers, expressed remorse, and requested that mitigating circumstances be taken into account, DonDay.ru reported.

Ramzan Albekov, Magomed Alkhanov, and Malik Gandaloev stated that they had nothing to add to what they and their defenders had previously said in court. Daniil Kamnev refused to make a substantive final statement, stating that he would not say anything at all, noted "Bloknot Rostov-on-Don" on September 3.

Gandaloev again expressed remorse and asked the court to release him. "As I said before, I regret, I admit my guilt, I will not break the law, I ask to release me," the publication quoted him as saying.

The prosecution requested 30 years of imprisonment for Kamnev, Gandaloev, and Kodzoev, and 28 years for Albekov and Alkhanov, "Bloknot Rostov-on-Don" clarified.

The announcement of the verdict is scheduled for September 4.

Recall that on June 16, 2024, inmates of the Rostov SIZO took two staff members of the isolation facility hostage. They called themselves a terrorist organization, whose activities are banned in the territory of the Russian Federation, and demanded a car, weapons, and the opportunity to leave the SIZO. Security forces conducted a storming operation, the hostage-takers were killed, and the hostages were freed. "Caucasian Knot" prepared a report "Hostage-taking in the Rostov SIZO" with a timeline of these events.

Earlier, analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" noted that there is a shortage of staff in FSIN institutions, and the existing staff work with significant overtime for modest pay, which contributes to the development of corruption and violations of safety rules for personal gain.