The judge suddenly decided not to announce his sentence until Mr. Budanov pass the third forensic psychiatric examination

The trial of the colonel of the Russian army accused of rape and suffocation of the 18-year-old Chechenka was confused due to the unexpected replacement of the state prosecutor in the case, which is considered the main test of the impartiality of the Russian military proceedings.

Moscow, July 2, 2002. The trial of the colonel of the Russian army accused of rape and suffocation of the 18-year-old Chechenka was confused due to the unexpected replacement of the state prosecutor in the case, which is considered the main test of the impartiality of the Russian military proceedings. On Monday, 18 months after the start of the court and the day before the announcement of the verdict in the case of Colonel Yuri Budanov, the Russian military replaced the prosecutor, who, according to representatives of human rights organizations, acted rather as the defender of Mr. Budanov. Today, the judge suddenly decided not to announce his sentence until Mr. Budanov pass the third forensic psychiatric examination.

The forty-year-old Mr. Budanov is an officer of the highest rank, who is charged with a crime against a Chechen civilian. For many military personnel who express their support to him, the commander of the tank regiment, the Order of the Council, is a hero. For many Chechens, he is an example of Russian unwillingness to hold his military personnel accountable for atrocities in this rebellious region in the south of the country. More than 2 years ago, Mr. Budanov and three soldiers burst into one of the houses in the Chechen capital Grozny, seized Elsa Kungaev and brought her to the dwelling of Mr. Budanov. There, at the request of the prosecutor, the muscular colonel hit her, tore off her clothes and strangled her on the couch. Then Mr. Budanov ordered the soldiers to bury her. The explanation of Mr. Budanov himself remains unchanged from the beginning of the court. He said that he thought that she was a sniper of the rebels and killed his people, and therefore he killed her in blind rage. Elsa's parents claim that Mr. Budanov abducted her, raped and killed the girl in a drunken frenzy, after the celebration of his daughter, who turned 2 years old.

Translation: Fedotov Victor, inosmi.ru
Published on the website inosmi.ru: 03 July 2002, 10:23
Original publication: Russian Officer's Trial Stalls in Case of Chechen Murder

The trial of the Russian officer for the murder of Chechen is postponed ("The Washington Post", USA)