Police officers escaped punishment for falsifying the Yulduz Kurashova case.

A court in Khasavyurt found three police officers guilty of falsifying a criminal case against local resident Yulduz Kurashova, but released them due to the statute of limitations. Two security officers were given suspended sentences for torturing Kurashova.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on October 17, 2024, it was reported that the Supreme Court of Dagestan overturned the sentence against three police officers in the torture case against Khasavyurt resident Yulduz Kurashova and returned the case to the prosecutor's office. The case was sent to the Khasavyurt City Court for a third hearing: on May 25, the prosecutor requested that Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulayev be sentenced to three years in prison, and Maya Akhmedova to a 10-month suspended sentence. However, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, their criminal prosecution must be terminated.

The Khasavyurt City Court today issued a verdict in the case of police officers Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulayev, as well as the operative Maya Akhmedova, finding them guilty of torture and falsifying the criminal case against Yulduz Kurashova, a representative of the Team Against Torture* told the Caucasian Knot.

"Aliyev and Saypulayev were found guilty of abuse of office with the use of violence (Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code). Aliyev was given a suspended sentence of three years and six months for abuse of office, and Saypulayev received a suspended sentence of three years. They were banned from holding positions in law enforcement for three years," she said.

The court found all three, including Maya Akhmedova, guilty of falsifying evidence (Part 4 of Article 303 of the Criminal Code) and fined each 150,000 rubles. All three were released from punishment under the falsification article due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Yulduz Kurashova commented on the verdict. "Regarding the verdict against Shamil and Ramazan, I agree with the court's decision. Regarding Maya, I agree only if she is dismissed from service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The defense has not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict. "We don't have the verdict yet," added the KPP representative*.

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 the security forces through an intermediary, but was still subject to criminal prosecution. 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 Kurashova's money to security forces.

Kurashova's story is an unusual case of a woman fighting for her rights, said Saida Sirazhudinova, president of the Center for the Study of Global Contemporary and Regional Issues "Caucasus. World. Development." "This is a very rare case. Most people understand that it's simply pointless to fight. And they retreat. There are a lot of fabrications. And very often, neither lawyers nor evidence work. But that doesn't mean 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 for the rest of her life," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

* added to the Russian Ministry of Justice's register of foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.