Defenders call case of Sharia patrols in Kabardino-Balkaria far-fetched

In Kabardino-Balkaria, 11 residents of the Leskensky District did not create any extremist community, their advocates insist. The court agreed with the motion filed by investigators and extended the arrests of all the defendants for other three months.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in late October, the court pronounced a decision to take into custody residents of the Leskensky District, aged 24-43. According to the police, the suspects were members of the extremist community and used force against those who did not share their views.

On December 18, the Nalchik City Court considered the issue of extending the term of the suspects' detention in custody and decided to extend it until March 26, 2021.

Ramzan Uzuev, one of the advocates defending the accused residents of Anzorei, criticized the plot of the criminal case. "We are offered to accept on faith that domestic conflicts in the village of Anzorei were committed by an extremist community. And if someone suppresses something that goes beyond the traditional norms of morality, we are offered to accept that it will be allegedly an extremist action, a manifestation of radicalism," the advocate told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the trial, Ramzan Uzuev motioned to replace the arrests of the defendants with a recognizance not to leave. According to the advocate, he reported to the court that in order to extend the arrest, strong evidence of the detainees' guilt is needed, which, according to the defence, does not exist.

Defendant Alim Unachev claims that he was not a member of any extremist community and even did not hear anything about it, as well as about alleged "Sharia patrols" in the Anzorei village in general, his advocate Mukhtar Mishaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 21, 2020 at 01:52 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.