Russian SC treats verdict in Boris Nemtsov's murder case as lawful

Today, the Supreme Court (SC) of Russia has slightly mitigated the verdict in the case of the politician Boris Nemtsov's murder. The SC has cancelled the fines, but upheld the terms of imprisonment.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 13, the court sentenced five natives of Chechnya, accused of killing Boris Nemtsov. Zaur Dadaev, who was found by investigators to be the killer, was sentenced to 20 years in prison; Anzor Gubashev, Shagid Gubashev, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhaev were sentenced to long prison terms, from 11 to 19 years; while the consideration of appeals against the verdict was scheduled for October 10.

Today's court hearing lasted about 8 hours. The convicts took part in the court hearing through video communication with various SIZOs (pre-trial prisons). "The situation is what was to be proved. There is no fair trial," said convict Bakhaev after listening to the verdict.

After the court hearing, Artyom Sarbashev, an advocate of Anzor Gubashev, has told the "Caucasian Knot" that the defence "plans to challenge the decision of the Russian SC, but will consult with its clients."

According to advocate Rosa Magomedova, representing the interests of Eskerkhanov, the defence will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in connection with procedural violations. "In the nearest future, Eskerkhanov will get compensation of 6000 euros for the conditions of detention. And we will also file a complaint to the ECtHR about the procedural violations committed in the course of the trial," Roza Magomedova told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

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