15 May 2007, 22:48
The so-called "Cadet" accused of tortures in Chechnya is left under arrest
Today, the Octiabrskiy District Court of Grozny has left Sergey Lapin, former militia officer from the city of Nizhnevartovsk (radio call sign "Cadet"), accused of torturing Zelimkhan Murdalov, a "disappeared" resident of Chechnya, under arrest. The news was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Natalia Estemirova, employee of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial," who was present at the court session.
Petitions lodged by defendant's advocate Georgiy Degtyarov and Lapin himself on changing his freedom restriction measure from custody to recognizance not to leave were rejected by the court. Now, the defendant is kept at the investigatory isolation facility of Grozny.
State accuser Milana Baitaeva voiced a protest against releasing "Cadet." She has declared that it is too early yet to lodge such petitions, N. Estemirova reported about the course of today's session of the Octiabrskiy District Court of the capital of Chechnya.
"The advocate has motivated the petitions by the fact that Sergey Lapin is loyal, always appeared to court under summons and so on. But that was not the case. He was under search," the employee of the "Memorial" has commented the motives of leaving the defendant behind the bars.
Author: Vyacheslav Feraposhkin, CK correspondent
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