Defenders of Magomed Tochiev announce their intention to appeal against verdict

Defenders of Magomed Tochiev, a native of Ingushetia, who was found guilty of using violence against an OMON (riot police) fighter during the incident with mosque-goers near the Historic Mosque, intend to appeal against the court's verdict.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 6, the Zamoskvorechye District Court of Moscow sentenced Magomed Tochiev to seven months of imprisonment in a penal settlement-colony. Magomed Tochiev insisted on his innocence. In his final speech, he claimed being pressured by the investigators and also reported on attempts to persuade him to conclude the pre-trial agreement.

After the verdict had been announced, Magomed Tochiev has called it unfair. The defence is completely sure of his innocence, advocate Tatiana Okushko states.

According to Musa Pliev, another advocate of the defendant, with the help of Aslan Mirzaev, who shot a video record, the defenders prepared a per-second storyboard of the video available on the Internet. Musa Pliev believes no one needs to be a lawyer to watch the video and understand that Magomed Tochiev did not commit any illegal actions.

According to the advocate, in Russia, the courts of appeal represent an inefficient way of defence.

Aslan Mirzaev, the author of the very video record, has reported that he had three times submitted to the court the video record shot by him on September 26, 2014, near the Historic Mosque.

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