Servicemen's executor sentenced to life imprisonment in Dagestan

On March 31, the Supreme Court of Dagestan sentenced Arbi Dandaev, a resident of Chechnya, to life imprisonment for his personal participation, during the militants' attack on Dagestan in 1999, in execution of six soldiers.

The state prosecution asked for 22 years of imprisonment, but Judge of the Supreme Court of Dagestan Shikhali Magomedov passed the top possible verdict - life imprisonment.

The investigation has established that Arbi Dandaev, an employee of the so-called "National Security Service of Ichkeria", took part in the attack of Shamil Basayev's and Khattab's groupings on Dagestan in 1999.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan that Dandaev took part, in the attack on Tukhchar village, Novolak District of Dagestan, took part in executing six militaries of the Russian Army, and personally cut a throat of one of them.

Dandaev's involvement was proved, since militants had videoed all their operations. Arbi Dandaev was detained in spring of 2008 in Grozny and handed over to Dagestan's law enforcement bodies.

Dandaev's advocates plan to appeal against the verdict, as they say that their client had confessed under pressure.