Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria continues interrogating anonymous witnesses on Nalchik attack case

On August 4, at the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), at the trial on the events of October 13, 2005, an anonymous witness hidden under pseudonym "Seliverstov, Gerasim Lukich", an employee of the OMSN (special militia unit) of the KBR's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), gave his evidences.

As demanded by the Code of Criminal Procedure, the chair of the court Galina Gorislavskaya put on debate the issue of interrogating the witness in the conditions that exclude his visual observation. The prosecution voiced for making the witness secret, while the defence, in particular, advocate Magomed Abubakarov, insisted on de-secreting him.

"As far as I understand, the pseudonyms are hiding the SOBR (quick-reaction militia unit) fighters, right those who took part in torture," said defendant Shavaev. "Measures to make them secret deprive us of an opportunity to defend."

Defendant Tokhov has announced his statement, where he asserted, by addressing Galina Gorislavskaya, chair of the court, that "she was fulfilling the political order of the country leaders not on her will." He also said that he recognized one of anonymous witnesses by his voice: "He personally scoffed over me and Ulimbashev and knocked the evidences contrary to reality out of us. You give them a chance to escape responsibility."

The court, after conferencing in situ, decided to interrogate the witness without his visual observation.