In Chechnya, SC cancels conditional sentence to man convicted for helping militants

The Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya has sent back for reconsideration the criminal case against Saidi Sultanov, a local resident, who was sentenced to five years of imprisonment on the charge of aiding and abetting militants.

According to the Chechen Prosecutor's Office, in March, Saidi Sultanov, a resident of the Grozny District, was found by the Grozny District Court guilty under Part 5 of Article 33 and Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (aiding in involvement in an illegal armed formation (IAF)) and sentenced to five years of conditional imprisonment.

At the appeal filed by the Prosecutor's Office, the Supreme Court of Chechnya has cancelled the verdict and returned the criminal case against Saidi Sultanov for a new trial, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by an official from the Chechen Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecutor has noted that the law stipulates 5-10 years of imprisonment for aiding and abetting IAF members. The criminal case is to be reconsidered in the coming weeks.

Family members of the defendant fear that he may be sentenced to several years of imprisonment in a penal colony. According to the defendant's relatives, a militant was a good friend of Saidi Sultanov, and "we have a tradition not to refuse to help a friend, even if he breaks the law."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.