Three defendants from Kabardino-Balkaria have their custody extended

Yesterday, on November 20, the court prolonged the term of custody for three residents of Kabardino-Balkaria, who are kept in Pyatigorsk SIZO, till January 11, 2009.

Advocate Magomed Abubakarov said that with the aim of extending the custody, the inmates were brought from Pyatigorsk to Nalchik.

"Today, we've submitted a statement that in the course of investigation the suspects were exposed to violence. We've presented documents and photos to the court, although we failed to have them taken to the forensic-medical examination," said Magomed Abubakarov.

We remind you that on September 24 three residents of Kabardino-Balkaria were detained in the Stavropol Territory: Alim Betokhov, a resident of Psygansu village, Anzor Bogotov, a resident of the city of Chegem, and Rustam Karanashev, a resident of Stary Cherek village. They were charged of storing especially large volumes of drugs, although, actually, the three arrested had been suspected of much more serious crimes.

Soon after their detention, the press-service of the GUVD of the Stavropol Territory spread information about detention of several militants involved in attacking the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria in 2005.

On October 9, advocate Elena Bairamkulova addressed the Predgorny District Court of the Stavropol Territory with a complaint against violation of the right to defence, stipulated by the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure, in relation to her client.

She wrote in her complaint that Karanashev had been repeatedly visited by employees of Centre "Т" of the UBOP (Unit for Fighting Organized Crime) of the MIA of Kabardino-Balkaria, who came from Nalchik to Pyatigorsk and interrogated him without the presence of an advocate.

According to Ms Bairamkulova, on October 1 defendant Karanashev was transferred to the SIZO named "Bely Lebed" (White Swan), where on October 8 his medical examination was made. The advocate marked the extremely bad state of health of her client. Karanashev had three heart attacks.

The accused Karanashev sent his applications to the General Public Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, Human Rights Centre "Memorial" and European committee for Prevention of Torture stating illegal investigation methods applied to him.

His application in 5 pages runs that on September 26 he was beaten by employees of the isolation facility in Pyatigorsk. "They beat me with their hands, feet and fist on my head. It was caused by the fact that on September 24 I refused to evidence, saying that I should speak only in the presence of an advocate to be hired by my relatives."