Jury to hear Nemtsov's murder case
MOSCOW. July 25 (Interfax) - Five defendants accused of killing politician Boris Nemtsov will have a jury trial, an Interfax correspondent reported.
"The court has granted our request for a jury trial," lawyer Shamsudin Tsakayev told Interfax.
The court will set a date for the selection of 12 jurors.
The Moscow District Military Court began preliminary hearings on five defendants in the Nemtsov murder case on Monday.
Prosecutor General's Office spokesman Alexander Kurennoi said in late June that the proceeding against Zaur Dadayev, Anzor and Shadid Gubashev, Temirlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhayev suspected of killing Nemtsov had been sent to the Moscow District Military Court for hearing the case merits.
Depending on the role and engagement in the crime, the defendants were charged with 'contract killing conspiracy' and 'illegal weapon conspiracy'.
The defendants pleaded guilty at various stages of the investigative process: Dadayev made a confession immediately after the detention, Anzor Gubashev at the early stage of the inquiry, and Shadid Gubashev in the second half of 2015 for purposes of releasing his brother. They said in a later period they confessed under duress. Now all the defendants plead not guilty.
According to the detectives, approximately in late September 2014, the defendants accepted the offer of Ruslan Mukhudinov and a number of hitherto unidentified persons to kill Nemtsov for at least 15 million rubles.
The group members thoroughly prepared for the murder: they studied Nemtsov's lifestyle, watched him, chose the method and place of the prospective attack, selected the weapon, the vehicle and communication means, and determined ways and routes of their escape, detectives said.
Dadayev, Beslan Shavanov and Anzor Gubashev watched the politician throughout February 27, 2015. After Nemtsov and his companion left the GUM store building and headed home, the defendants contacted Zaur Dadayev and said it as a good moment for the murder. Dadayev fired at least six shots on Nemtsov on a sidewalk of the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge at approximately 11:31 p.m. Nemtsov died.
Anzor Gubashev and Shavanov controlled the crime scene perimeter for signaling their accomplices in case of any danger. After the murder was committed, Dadayev, Shavanov and Anzor Gubashev left the crime scene by car. According to detectives, Mukhudinov, Shadid Gubashev, Eskerkhanov, Bakhayev and some other individuals helped them leave the Moscow region.
The criminal case against Shavanov was dropped after he had blown himself up during detention. Mukhudinov and unknown persons were put on the international wanted list; investigation against them continues.
Detectives named Mukhudinov the mastermind of the crime and the person who ordered it. He was arrested in absentia and put on the Interpol most wanted list.
Nemtsov family members repeatedly said they did not think that the murder was ordered by Mukhudinov. Lawyer Vadim Prokhorov asked for questioning Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov and other senior officials from that republic; that request was turned down, and he made another appeal.
The media repeatedly mentioned Sever battalion commander Ruslan Geremeyev in connection with that case, but his status of a witness did not change. According to lawyer Prokhorov, detectives are searching for Geremeyev in order to question him.
