10 November 2007, 14:16
Dagestan court acquits persons accused of preparing terrorist act
On Friday, November 9, the Soviet district court of Makhachkala passed a ruling which is unprecedented for Dagestan. The court held that Said Sultanbekov, Magomed Radzhabov and Ramazan Umarov accused of preparing a terrorist act in Makhachkala were not guilty while the evidence had been planted on them by militiamen.
The prosecution claimed that Said Sultanbekov, Magomed Radzhabov and Ramazan Umarov had been preparing a major terrorist act against militia officers on the eve of May holidays. Ostensibly, they were going to explode a car, loaded with explosives, near a district militia unit in Makhachkala.
It is notable that, upon the request from the prosecutor's office, the Dagestan directorate on fighting organized crime and the Dagestan MIA directorate on fighting extremism and criminal terrorism responded that none of the three detainees had been brought to them. Additionally, the investigation failed to find out which militia unit had detained the accused Sultanbekov and Radzhabov.
Ramazan Umarov, the third accused person, did not attend the trial. After his detainment, he disappeared and his relatives know nothing of his fate.
A criminal case was initiated on the fact of kidnapping Umarov, however, no records of the person had been made in any Dagestan MIA unit.
In the end, the state prosecutor dropped the charge and Dalghat Gadzhiyev ruled to dismiss the case and release the defendants in the court room. According to the lawyers, law suits on compensation of moral damage to their defendants are likely to be filed.
Author: Oleg Ionov, CK correspondent
