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Court to announce jury trial decision on Nemtsov murder case on July 26

Boris Nemtsov, former deputy prime minister under then-President Boris Yeltsin, was gunned down in the center of Moscow on February 27, 2015

MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Moscow’s regional military court will announce a decision on the motion of those accused of murder of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov on considering the case in jury trial on July 26, Irina Zhirnova, the court’s press secretary, told TASS on Monday.

"The court will announce its ruling on the motions at 13:00 Moscow time on July 26 and will appoint the date for hearing on the merits," she said.

Earlier in the day, lawyers of the accused filed a motion on involvement of the jury and on providing an interpreter to one of those accused, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov. The court is also expected to extend the arrest term.

Earlier, Shamsudin Tsakayev, a lawyer of the key suspect in the murder, said the case would be considered by a court of jury.

"The motion was supported, the judge agreed with it but the ruling will be announced tomorrow," he said.

Meanwhile, Olga Mikhailova, a representative of the injured party, asked to refer the case back to the prosecutor general’s office. "We believe the case should be re-qualified from article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code to article 277 of the Russian Criminal Code," she said.

Boris Nemtsov, former deputy prime minister under then-President Boris Yeltsin, co-chairman of the Parnas party and lawmaker of the Yaroslavl regional legislature, was gunned down in the center of Moscow on February 27, 2015. Five persons were arrested on March 8 last year on suspicion of murdering the politician: Zaur Dadayev, Anzor and Shadid Gubahev, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhayev.

Depending on their role and degree of their involvement, they are pressed with charges under part 2, article 105 ("Contract Murder Committed by an Organized Group") and part 3, article 222 of Russia’s Criminal Code ("Illegal Acquisition, Transfer, Storage, Transportation and Possession of Firearms and Ammunition by an Organized Group"). Article 105 carries a punishment of up to life imprisonment.

The accused persons are denying their complicity in Nemtsov’s murder.