The witness's testimony confirmed Omarov's words about the actions of the security forces.

Rosgvardeyets Bekhan Abdurashidov, referring to a concussion after participating in the special military operation, asked the court to announce his previously given testimony regarding the detention of the Dagestani pharmacist Alexey Kardashov. However, in response to clarifying questions, he confirmed the testimony of Said-Magomed Omarov, which he had given before being accused of the murder of Kardashov.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the Gudermes City Court is considering the case of Grozny resident Said-Magomed Omarov, accused of murdering Dagestani resident, pharmacist Alexey Kardashov, after the previously issued guilty verdict was overturned for the second time. At the last hearing, witnesses did not appear, and the court insists on their compulsory appearance. In the summer of 2023, the Gudermes City Court of Chechnya found former Rosgvardiya employees Bekhan Abdurashidov and Aslan Dukayev guilty of the illegal detention of Alexey Kardashov. They were sentenced to two years probation for exceeding official authority. This verdict was overturned on appeal, and in June 2024, the Sheikh-Mansurovsky Court terminated the case against Abdurashidov and Dukayev due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution.

On July 17, a previously postponed court session on Omarov's case took place. As reported by a representative of the Anti-Torture Team*, the prosecution insisted on the compulsory appearance of witnesses, including Rosgvardeyets Bekhan Abdurashidov. "After long hardships, we finally managed to get him to court. He, referring to several concussions from the special military operation, several instances of anesthesia after injury and leg amputation, due to the time elapsed (9 years), asked the court to announce his testimony due to poor memory," the representative of the Anti-Torture Team* told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

They were traveling in different cars, which confirms Omarov's initial testimony as a witness, from which he later recanted after confessing to the murder.

The prosecution announced several testimonies from Abdurashidov, in which he admits that together with Aslan Dukayev, he illegally detained Kardashov but then released him before reaching Gudermes. "In response to questions from the victim's representative, he stated that he remembers nothing. However, when asked if there was an instance when he was traveling in the same car with Dukayev and communicated with him by phone, he smirked and replied that no, that did not happen. This question was asked because later testimonies from the defendants indicate that on the way from Grozny to Khasavyurt, he was traveling in the same car with Dukayev and Omarov. However, the data from his phone call details show that during this period, there were several calls between him and Dukayev. This indicates that they were traveling in different cars, which confirms Omarov's initial testimony as a witness, from which he recanted after confessing to the murder. The victim's side evaluates such testimonies in favor of their version, which is outlined in Omarov's initial testimonies. We did not inquire about the evaluation of Abdurashidov's testimonies by the defense side," the representative of the Anti-Torture Team* said.

As before, the victim's side hopes for the return of the case to the prosecutor and additional investigation under the abduction article.

"But whether we can achieve this is a big question, considering the previous behavior of the courts and the prosecutor's office in Chechnya, which categorically refused to consider such a turn in the case," noted the representative of the Anti-Torture Team*.

The fragmentation of the case into shards allowed the security forces to evade responsibility for a much more serious crime than the charges they are currently facing.

According to him, formally, the separation of the murder case of Kardashov by Omarov from the cases against the security forces was justified, as there were testimonies from Omarov about committing the murder.

"The other thing is that the investigation did not approach them critically. But yes, the fragmentation of the case into shards allowed the security forces to evade responsibility for a much more serious crime than the charges they are currently facing," explained the representative of the Anti-Torture Team*.

Recall that on February 24, the Gudermes Court began considering the criminal case of former drug police officers Kalogi Aziev and Alikhan Yusupov, accused of illegally transporting from Dagestan to Chechnya, personal searches, and searches of Alexey Kardashov's car in the fall of 2017. Both admitted their guilt. A witness in the case of Aziev and Yusupov, Aslan Dukayev told the court that he remembers nothing. At the last hearing, Aziev and Yusupov refused to answer questions from the representatives of the victim's side.

Alexey Kardashov, who owned a pharmacy in Khasavyurt, left home on September 14, 2017, and did not return; his body has not yet been found. Investigators believe that Rosgvardeyets Bekhan Abdurashidov and Aslan Dukayev took Kardashov to Chechnya and left him with Said-Magomed Omarov, who killed Kardashov during a quarrel. The basis for the prosecution of Abdurashidov and Dukayev was Omarov's testimonies, which he gave when the investigation was conducted in Dagestan. After the case was transferred to Chechnya, he signed a confession.

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