09 August 2013, 12:13
While alive, Ruslan Akhtakhanov received no threats, his daughter asserts at trial in case of her father's murder
On August 8, at court session in case of the murder of Chechen poet Ruslan Akhtakhanov, the Savyolovo District Court of Moscow listened to four witnesses, including Zarema Akhtakhanova, the daughter of the murdered poet. She has asserted that her father had no conflicts with the Chechen leaders and that he received no threats when he was alive. According to the story of the defence advocate, the witnesses' testimonies exclude the motive for the crime imputed to the defendants aiding and abetting in the murder of Ruslan Akhtakhanov because of his public critical statements with regard to the leaders of the Chechen Republic.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November, 16, 2011, Ruslan Akhtakhanov, Pro-Rector of the Modern Humanitarian Academy and a member of the Union of Russian Writers, who spoke for the preservation of Chechnya as part of Russia and the development of a secular republic, was killed. Mairbek Umaev, a native of Chechnya, and his friend Zelimkhan Karimov are accused of his murder. The first court hearing on the merits was held on May 29, and the defendants pleaded not guilty.
Author: Yulia Buslavskaya Source: CK correspondent
