Ramzan Belyalov's defence complains about investigators' inaction

The advocate of Ramzan Belyalov, who is kept in the Pyatigorsk SIZO (pre-trial prison) named "Bely Lebed" (White Swan), has filed complaints to the Russia's General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) and the Chief Investigating Department (ChID) of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) because of the unwillingness of investigators to interrogate the witnesses, who can confirm the alibi of his client in relation to the militants' attack on the city of Budyonnovsk.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 14, 1995, a group of militants from Chechnya led by Shamil Basaev attacked citizens and organizations in Budyonnovsk and captured the central hospital of the town. As a result of the terror act, 129 people were killed.

On June 2, a native of Chechnya Ramzan Belyalov was detained in Gudermes on suspicion of involvement in the attack of militants on of Budyonnovsk back in June 1995. On June 14, he was transferred from SIZO of Yessentuki to the above SIZO in Pyatigorsk.

The investigator from the above ChID of the ICRF for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) failed to question any of the villagers of Naibi-Yurt, Gudermes District of Chechnya, with whom Ramzan Belyalov worked at the construction of rural objects in the state farm "Makanskiy" in Bashkortostan from May to December of 1995, Sergey Zagnoiko, a Ramzan Belyalov advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The residents have written their explanations; they are ready to come to Yessentuki and testify. But investigators are idling," Sergey Zagnoiko has explained.

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