CHERKESSK, April 4 (Itar-Tass) —— Karachai-Cherkessia’s Supreme Court held preliminary hearings Wednesday in the criminal case versus 13 local residents, who are accused of masterminding a coup and connivance with terrorists. The penal of three professional judges will try this criminal case.
The defendants are charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, particularly with the creation of a gang and the participation in it, the masterminding of the actions seeking for the forcible seizure of power and the change of the constitutional system in Russia and the connivance with terrorists.
“The court scheduled the first court session on April 12,” press secretary of the court Alibek Botashev said.
The court also ruled to extend the home arrest for two defendants and extend the term in custody of another six months that is the period of the trial to other 11 defendants.
The detectives found that Ruslan Kumukov, Islam Batchayev, Ruslan Chagarov, Kaziy Uzdenov, Telegen Magulayev, Arsen Elkanov, Ruslan Semenov, Artur Ismailov, Rasul Gappoyev, Marat Bytdayev, Artur Batchayev, Artur Uzdenov and Shamil Gadzhayev united in two extremist religious paramilitary groups in 2008-2011. The so-called Jamaats were seeking to wage “the holy war (the Jihad) with non-Muslims,” the forcible seizure of power and the change of the constitutional system in Karachai-Cherkessia and the whole North Caucasus.
The gunmen were armed with combat grenades, homemade explosive devices with striking pieces, pistols, revolvers, hunting rifles and a large amount of ammunition. All weapons were found and confiscated during the investigation.