Defendants in Nalchik attack case move numerous petitions

Today, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria has provided the defendant in the case on the events on October 13, 2005, with the right to make statement and move petitions. Almost half of the defendants have enjoyed the right.

Several defendants were persistently asking the court to allow the advocates to come up, in the course of the litigation and during breaks, to their sectors (of the prisoner's case) for consultations. According to the defendants, now the guards prevent it, demanding every time the judge's permit to get some paper from an advocate or to hand over one.

Defendant Kanshoubi Boriev said that there are certain difficulties to meet advocates, even when the latter come to the SIZO (pre-trial facility). "Sometimes advocates come but cannot meet us," he has noted.

The defendants have also expressed their desire to have public defenders as their additional advocates. The argument was that lawyers are overloaded and seldom visit them in SIZO; thus, they are deprived of chances to get advised on all the issues of the charge and have full-fledged defence.

Most of the defendants have moved petitions that the evidences obtained through violations of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP), namely, with use of force, moral pressure or interrogations filmed by a hidden video camera, should be withdrawn from the case as "inadmissible evidences".

Defendant Kanshoubi Boriev has stated that "he would not agree with the conclusion of the forensic-medical examination" on application of physical pressure against him.

Several defendants asked for additional opportunities to get acquainted with the materials of the criminal case.

Practically all the defendants have petitioned for granting them meetings with relatives, both long- and short-term ones.

The trial took a break till April 6.