11:04, 13 December 2016

Judge bans video recording of Geriev's trial

The advocate Alaudi Musaev. Photo by Patimat Makhmudova for the "Caucasian Knot"

Today, at the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya, the presiding judge has restricted the video recording, having treated the trial, which considers the complaint against the verdict to Zhalaudi Geriev, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, "a one-man's theatre".

On November 15, the SC of the Chechen Republic began considering the above complaint against the verdict to Geriev, passed by the Shali District Court on September 5. The December 9 session was interrupted after the petition was put forward to disqualify the panel of judges, since, according the presiding judge, one of the judges needed medical care. During the break, an original resolution was brought to the court on the refusal to investigate Geriev's statement about his kidnapping and use of violence during the inquiry.

On September 5, Zhalaudi Geriev was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of marijuana possession. He stated at the court that he had testified under pressure.

Today, at first Geriev's relatives and journalists were not admitted to the courtroom. The court marshal, on duty at the entrance, could not explain the reasons for this.

Dmitry Gorbovtsov, the presiding judge, said that he restricted the video filming. When the advocate Alaudi Musaev asked him to explain why he did it without taking a judgement, Judge Gorbovtsov said that videoing does not respond to the interests of the trial.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.