They'll put everyone in prison

A new court will be built for the participants in the attack on Nalchik

The authorities of Kabardino-Balkaria began preparations for a trial unprecedented in scale in modern Russian history - over the participants in the attack on the capital of the republic on October 13-14, 2005. About 60 people will be in the dock at once. For a long time, the issue of accommodating such a huge number of participants in the process - the defendants themselves, their lawyers and relatives, state prosecutors and media representatives (in total there are several hundred people) - remained open. None of the court premises, including the halls of the Supreme Court of the Republic in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, is even theoretically capable of accommodating so many people. And just recently, as Vremya Novostey managed to find out, the leadership and security forces of the republic found an unusual solution to the problem - it was decided to build a special building in the suburbs of Nalchik to carry out this process. The other day, according to our information, the documents and estimates necessary for construction have already been sent for approval to the Russian Ministry of Justice.

On October 13 last year, several groups of militants totaling about 200 people simultaneously attacked the main security forces of the republic located in Nalchik - regional police departments, the republican FSB Directorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Riot Police, the department of the Federal Service for Drug Control, the department of the Federal Penitentiary Service ( FSIN), etc. The fighting in the city continued for more than a day. During the attack, 35 law enforcement officers, 12 civilians were killed, and more than 100 people were injured. The attackers also suffered losses - 94 militants were killed. Another 20 suspects were put on the federal wanted list, and 69 rebels were detained alive. They were charged under nine articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - terrorism, murder, armed rebellion, encroachment on the lives of police officers, etc. True, 57 suspects will ultimately be in the dock. At the end of last week, the KBR prosecutor's office granted amnesty to 12 people. The amnesty included those participants in the attack who, although they had weapons, did not use them, and then voluntarily turned themselves in to law enforcement agencies.

At the beginning of the investigation into the events in Nalchik, the Directorate of the Prosecutor General's Office for the Southern Federal District divided the case into several separate episodes - according to the number of objects that were attacked. However, then they were again combined into one trial, apparently deciding to make the trial of the participants in the attack on Nalchik “exemplary”, so that it would become a “lesson” for the militants and their accomplices still remaining at large.

In general, the criminal investigation has already been completed, but on the eve of the anniversary of the attack on Nalchik, the prosecutor's office extended the investigation until April 12, 2007. Until this time, it is expected that the republic will have to build a special building for holding a high-profile trial, which will most likely take place with the participation of a jury.

The issue of the need to build a special premises was decided jointly by representatives of the republican prosecutor's office, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Federal Penitentiary Service. According to the preliminary plan, it will be built 7 km from Nalchik in the so-called Kamenka area not far from colony No. 2. The accused will be transferred there from the republican pre-trial detention center during the trial. According to security officials, this will significantly simplify the process of transporting defendants and protecting them.

In addition, issues of accommodating numerous media representatives who will come to Nalchik to cover the process are being worked out. They plan to open a canteen and a press center in the constructed building. There will most likely be special transport to deliver the press outside the city and back to the hotels. The implementation of what is planned on paper in the republic will begin after the necessary documents are signed in Moscow and the estimate is approved. Winters in the republic are warm, and frosts, as local authorities believe, most likely will not slow down construction.

Tatiana GRITSENKO