Defendants in Nalchik attack case tell about persecutions of Moslems before the conflict

At today's session of the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, which considers the attack of militants on power agencies in Nalchik, defendant Zaur Tokhov said that before the events on October 13, 2005, local law enforcers were beating local Moslems and searched their houses. The militiamen who gave evidences denied it.

Defendant Tokhov has also stated today in the courtroom that he had learnt from a local newspaper about another criminal case initiated against him by the Prosecutor's Office of Kabardino-Balkaria, allegedly for beating a convoy; however, nobody ever took his evidences.

"My body keeps enough traces of severe torture, to say nothing about my soul. I was tortured both at the inquiry and during convoying. However, the Prosecutor's Office remains dumb to all my appeals," said Mr Tokhov.

He has added that this was the Office's behaviour also before the October 13 events: law enforcers kept beating Moslems and searched their houses. According to his story, people were driven to despair and were just forced to rise in defence of their rights with weapon in hand.

During the incident with the convoy Tokhov, according to his story, just stretched his hand to stop the convoy from breaking arm of another defendant - Begidov, and the Prosecutor's Office qualified his actions under Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. "One thing is clear: the militia is always right," he ascertained. The court has added Tokhov's statement to the materials of criminal case.