Court questions investigator in Titiev's case

The investigator of the Kurchaloi ROVD (District Interior Division) was unable to confirm to the court today that the search witnesses supervised in detail the inspection of Oyub Titiev's car.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Shali City Court is considering Oyub Titiev's case since July 19 this year.

Today, the court interrogated Muratov, an investigator of the Kurchaloi ROVD, as a prosecution witness. He said that on January 9 he arrived, as a member of the operative group, in the outskirt of the village of Kurchaloi, where, according to the on duty officer, a suspicious package was found, says the message posted in the Telegram-channel of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

When the group arrived at the venue, the passenger door, the hood and the trunk of Titiev's car stood open, said Muratov. According to his version, he told policemen that he needed search witnesses. Within an hour, he was given two civilians.

The package, as he said, was under the passenger seat; and it was visible. He did not rule out that he could "move or remove something to make it visible," but "does not remember exactly." However, when he saw the package, he asked the expert to take a photo. The investigator, as he said, did not see where the witnesses stood during the inspection, since "he has no eyes on his back", but specified that they "stood somewhere behind."

When asked by advocate Ilya Novikov, why the investigator is sure that the search witnesses saw everything that was happening, if he stood with his back to them and bent down to get the package, Muratov replied that he had informed the search witnesses of their right to observe what was happening. The substance on the rug in the car Muratov, as he said, he noticed himself, without anyone's prompt.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 16, 2018 at 12:52 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.