Ingushetia: at trial of Guliev and Nalgiev witnesses' protocols are announced

On December 8, at the court session, where the case of the former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Nazir Guliev and Ilyas Nalgiev, accused of torturing detainees and committing other crimes, is considered, interrogation protocols of witnesses and victims were announced.

During the session, interrogation protocols of the witnesses and victims were announced related to the episode with the cars registered as hijacked, but then found in the Karabulak OVD (Interior Department).

The witnesses were not present at the session, as they live outside Ingushetia, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

At the start of the session, the defendants' advocates petitioned on ensuring the appearance of the witnesses at the trial.

Aza Yandieva, the advocate of Ilyas Nalgiev, said: "Among law enforcers of our republic a practice is widespread of attracting Russians as witnesses and search witnesses. When they were questioned, nobody took into account that they would go home after expiry of their contracts. Just to undermine this vicious system, I insist that all the questioned witnesses should be summoned for evidencing."

However, it proved impossible to ensure the presence of witnesses in the courtroom, and the court decided to announce the evidences.

In particular, the testimonies of the head of the criminal search section of the Nazran ROVD (District Interior Division) Alexander Polyakov, and of the victims - Vladimir Sedov, Sergey Korneev and Maria Belova, whose cars had been hijacked, - were announced.

The protocol of questioning of Maria Belova reports that in April 2010 she received a call from the Karabulak OVD saying that her car was found.

Then, according to the protocol, she received several calls with offers to sell the car. When she refused, she was allegedly threatened.

The next session will be held on December 12. According to Nelly Khasanova, the lawyer of Zelimkhan Chitigov, it is planned to question the doctors who had treated Nalgiev.

"We'll establish the fact whether Nalgiev was really in hospital at the moment of detention of Zelimkhan Chitigov and search of his house," said Khasanova. During the court session on November 25, Ilyas Nalgiev said that he could not take part in the detention and torture of Chitigov, because at that time he was treated at hospital.