Lawyers assess chances of returning rioters' case to Dagestan

The transfer of the case of five Makhachkala rioters to Krasnodar Territory can be challenged, but success is unlikely, lawyers have indicated. Many residents of Dagestan sympathize with the defendants, but refrain from public support, Magomed Magomedov, a journalist, and Shamil Khadulaev, an activist, have informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 17, relatives of the rioters at the Makhachkala Airport turned to Putin asking for leniency. They stated that their detained relatives had fallen victim to provocation and made a mistake.

The territorial jurisdiction of a case may change if there are concerns about the objectivity of local courts, Arsen Shabanov, a lawyer, has noted; however, he found it difficult to hope that authorities would satisfy the relatives' request and return the cases to Dagestan.

Their appeal to Putin is unlikely to yield results, says Magomed Magomedov, a deputy editor-in-chief of the "Chernovik" outlet. However, according to his version, the defendants in the airport riot cases still enjoy tacit community's support.

Shamil Khadulaev, a deputy chairman of the Dagestani Public Oversight Commission (POC), considers it necessary to consider criminal cases in Dagestan. He has noted that about 100 suspected rioters are still kept at the SIZO (pre-trial prison).