The prosecutor requested a three-year prison sentence for the security forces who tortured a Dagestani woman.
Due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the criminal prosecution of the former police officers is subject to termination.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on October 17, 2024, it became known that the Supreme Court of Dagestan annulled the sentence of three police officers in the case of torture of Khasavyurt resident Yulduz Kurashova and returned the case to the prosecutor's office.
In October 2022, the Khasavyurt City Court sentenced police officers Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulaev to 3.5 years in prison, finding them guilty of torturing Yulduz Kurashova and falsifying evidence in her criminal case. The court also found detective Maya Akhmedova involved in the falsification and received a one-year suspended sentence. On December 15, 2022, the appellate court overturned the verdict and remanded the case for a new trial. Following the retrial, on April 27, the court sentenced Aliyev and Saypulayev to suspended sentences and acquitted Akhmedova. Kurashova then announced that she intended to appeal the verdict.
Today, the Khasavyurt City Court held oral arguments in the Yulduz Kurashova torture case. "The prosecutor requested that Aliyev and Saypulayev be sentenced to three years in prison, and Akhmedova to a 10-month suspended sentence. However, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the criminal prosecution must be terminated," said a representative of the Team Against Torture*.
Kurashova's representatives asked that the prosecution's position be supported and that the police officers be stripped of their special ranks: Aliyev—captain, and Saypulayev—lieutenant, a source told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
"They also asked that a private resolution be submitted to the head of the Khasavyurt City Department of Internal Affairs regarding the violations that were identified in the criminal investigation department's activities and that a resolution regarding the violations be sent to him," a checkpoint employee noted.
Cases of punishment of security forces for torture have become rare, human rights activists commented on the overturning of the police officers' sentence in the case of the torture of a Khasavyurt resident. The victim said she continues to experience health issues.
Yulduz Kurashova herself refuses to speak to the press. The verdict in her case is scheduled for tomorrow, May 26.
As a reminder, on March 26, 2020, security forces detained Yulduz Kurashova in Khasavyurt while she was riding in a taxi with a friend. According to Kurashova, she was beaten, insulted, and threatened with the loss of her parental rights and drug charges. Kurashova transferred 250,000 rubles to security forces through an intermediary, but was still charged. The case against the security forces was opened after Kurashova complained of a harsh detention and forced incrimination in connection with drug trafficking. In December 2020, a Khasavyurt resident admitted in court that he acted as an intermediary in the transfer of money from Kurashova to security forces.
Kurashova's story is an unusual case of a woman fighting for her rights, Saida Sirazhudinova, president of the Center for the Study of Global Contemporary and Regional Issues "Caucasus. World. Development," said earlier. "This is a very rare case. Most people understand that it is simply useless to fight. And they retreat. There are many fabrications. And very often, neither lawyers nor evidence work. But this does not mean that we shouldn't fight. Her fight is, first and foremost, a fight for honor. This is especially important for women in the region. Otherwise, she will be reproached and looked at askance her whole life," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.