Court trying Rakhaev forbids video filming

The Cherkessk City Court has forbidden journalists to use their pens and block-notes, and to video the trial of Ruslan Rakhaev, the former deputy head of the Cherkessk OVD (Interior Department).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 8, 2013, the Cherkessk City Court sentenced Rakhaev to 13 years of freedom deprivation, after finding him guilty of abuse of power and intentional causing grievous bodily harm to the detainee Dakhir Djankezov, resulting in the latter's death. A repeated investigation was appointed on the case.

On June 3, the Cherkessk City Court began preliminary hearings on the case.

At the today's court session, Rakhaev's defence put forward a number of petitions; in particular, to disqualify the court secretary. According to the defence, the secretary is a relative of the judge who handed down the guilty verdict to Rakhaev. The secretary may have a biased attitude to Rakhaev, said the advocates.

The court has dismissed the petition, saying that there is no evidence that "the then judge and the current secretary are relatives." Also, the court refused to allow video recording of the trial.

Today, it was forbidden to keep any records even to the representative of the Ombudsperson under the head of the Karachay-Cherkessia CR, who was present at the trial, as well as to the representative of the organization named "Public Verdict".

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