The mitigation of the sentence in the case of Dzhabiev's death shocked the victims.

The Supreme Court of South Ossetia has reduced the sentences of the police officers convicted in the torture and death of Inal Dzhabiev and released one of them. The court's decision came as a surprise to Dzhabiev's widow and her lawyer, who had demanded a harsher sentence.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on December 8, the Supreme Court of South Ossetia reviewed appeals against the verdict in the case of Inal Dzhabiev's death and scheduled the ruling for December 22.

On December 22, the appellate court reduced the sentence of the convicted, Fatima Gatagonova, the lawyer for the injured party, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

Previously, the sentence was five years, but now it has been commuted to three and a half.

"Bibilov's sentence, previously sentenced to five years, has been reclassified from Part 3 to Part 1 of Article 286 [abuse of power], but has now been commuted to Three and a half. They calculated the time until the sentence comes into effect, taking into account the time already served, and released Andrei Dzhioev in the courtroom, while the sentences of everyone else were upheld," she said.

The Inal Dzhabiev Case: Death in Police Quarantine, Protests, and Crisis

The injured party did not agree with the verdict, much less with its mitigation, the lawyer emphasized. "We, of course, consider it excessively lenient and do not agree with the reclassification. We believe that the sentence was excessively lenient, based on the terms requested by the prosecution," she explained.

According to Gatagonova, the following should not have been excluded from the case file: The examination of the cause of Dzhabiev's death, conducted by Zarina Dzagoeva, is inadmissible evidence.

"We personally went to Moscow, visited the Department of Education, and brought back a document confirming that Dzagoeva actually completed the training course. And that she completed the training course at a registered and licensed organization. Nevertheless, this examination was excluded," Gatagonova noted.

We will probably file a complaint with a supervisory authority. We must fight to the end last

According to the lawyer, the victims and the defense are in shock after the trial. "We're still in deep shock. We'll probably file a complaint with the supervisory authority. We have to fight to the bitter end. I can say one thing: they (the convicts) are guilty. The entire republic knows they're guilty, and at least they received the punishment they deserved, that they will never work in this system again. And they will never torture people with impunity. Dzhabiev wasn't the first, he just had a heart attack and died," Gatagonova said.

Dzhabiev's widow, Oksana Sotieva, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that she was upset by the appellate court's decision.

I'm very upset. Where can I complain next?

"You know, I'm speechless." I am very upset. Where can I complain next? I know one thing: my husband's case will remain cold, and no one will be punished, although everyone, starting with the republic's leadership, assured us that all the culprits would be identified and punished," she lamented.

As a reminder, Inal Dzhabiev died in August 2020 after being arrested in connection with the assassination attempt on South Ossetian Interior Minister Igor Naniev. In 2022, the Supreme Court of South Ossetia acquitted Dzhabiev of the charges in the assassination attempt on the minister, and the Tskhinvali City Court ruled... href="https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/392184">pay two million rubles in compensation for moral damages to his family.

News about the investigation and the political crisis in South Ossetia related to the death of Inal Dzhabiev have been compiled by the "Caucasian Knot" on the thematic page "Dzhabiev's Murder: Protests and Crisis".