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TITLE: Russian Officer Charged With Murder |
AUTHOR: Sergei Venyavsky |
PUB: AP |
DATE: February 28, 2001 |
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ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP) - A Russian army commander went on trial Wednesday on charges of murdering an 18-year-old Chechen woman - a rare prosecution of alleged human rights abuses by Russian forces in the breakaway province. Col. Yuri Budanov has been charged with kidnapping and murdering Heda Kungayeva near the village of Tangi-Chu 11 months ago. Budanov, commander of the 160th tank regiment, has admitted to strangling her, but denies the slaying was premeditated. Human rights advocates and journalists have reported widespread violations by Russian soldiers and officers in Chechnya), including many cases of murder of civilians, but few have been investigated by the authorities. Rights groups say Russia must acknowledge the scale of abuses and open broader investigations. ``If there is only this one trial, and there is no action on all the other violations, then it would be not a step forward, but just a show trial,'' said Rachel Denber of New York-based Human Rights Watch. The trial is being held in a military court in Rostov-on-Don, 620 miles south of Moscow, where the Russian military has its regional headquarters. Dozens of Budanov's supporters stood outside the court building, some holding posters condemning the trial. The small courtroom was packed with members of the victim's family, lawyers and journalists. Budanov, who has been in custody since March, sat in the defendant's cage. The first session lasted two hours. The judge turned down the defense's request to hold the trial behind closed doors, and accepted Kungayeva's father's petition to call a recess so he could familiarize himself with the investigation materials. The trial was adjourned until Thursday. Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch said Kungayeva was at home with her family when Russian soldiers dragged her away in an armored personnel carrier. Her body was reportedly found two days later, badly disfigured. Russian press reports have said that Budanov committed the crime during a drunken rampage. Budanov has said he detained Kungayeva because he thought she was a sniper and he strangled her in a rage while interrogating her. ``Budanov absolutely bears guilt, and Budanov has partially admitted it,'' his lawyer, Anatoly Mukhin, told independent NTV television. ``He very much regrets what happened to this Chechen girl.'' Another officer, Ivan Fyodorov, also went on trial Wednesday. He is charged with ordering his subordinates to open fire on Tangi-Chu. Russia's chief military prosecutor, Mikhail Kislitsyn, said Wednesday that criminal cases had been opened against 800 servicemen since the beginning of the latest conflict in Chechnya, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Only 58 concerned crimes against local residents, he said. Meanwhile, the rebel Chechen president said he and warlords Khattab and Shamil Basayev are united against the Russian military. Moscow has refused to recognize Aslan Maskhadov, elected in 1997, but draws a distinction between him and the warlords, who are considered more extreme and more powerful. Maskhadov told the Moscow daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, in a story published Wednesday, that they and other rebel commanders take orders from him. END |