Trial of insurgents’ case reopens in Dagestan
DAGESTAN, September 13, Caucasus Times – The trial of the case of insurgents who belonged to Gelayev’s guerilla group reopened today in Makhachlkala, Dagestan, Caucasus Times correspondent reports.
The guerilla group of 36 militants led by Chechen warlord Ruslan Gelayev, according to prosecutors, infiltrated Dagestan, in December 2003. The militants had killed nine soldiers of a Russian frontier guards unit in a firefight near Russian-Georgian border.
A special operation of Russian “power structures” including special task forces and aircrafts being carried out for a month resulted in a nearly total destroy of the militant group. The field commander was reported killed in the battle. Later, his body was identified as well by experts as his relatives.
Eight survived militants, namely Umashev, Magomedov, Umarov, Gazmagomedov, Akbulatov, Umakhanov, Hajjiyev and Mohammedov were captured, five – in Dagestan, three – were arrested by Georgian frontier guards who eventually handed them over to the Russian side. All arrested militants are Chechen residents of Chechnya and Dagestan. They testified during initial interrogation that their group led by Ruslan Gelayev was heading from Chechnya through the territory of Dagestan for some guerilla bases in Georgia.
The site of the Supreme Court building where the case is being tried remain under tightened security guard. The trial has been suspended three times. Several witnesses from Tsuntinsky district of Dagestan have been called on to testify before the court.
