Vienna process

Yesterday in the capital of Austria, the trial of the murder of Chechen refugee Umar Israilov, who was shot dead in January 2009, began.

Briefly, what is known about the background of this case. Chechen refugee Umar Israilov is a former militant. According to him, he spent several months in a secret prison in Chechnya, where he was tortured. He went over to the side of the Kadyrovites, served as a guard for Ramzan ...

Briefly, what is known about the background of this case. Chechen refugee Umar Israilov is a former militant. According to him, he spent several months in a secret prison in Chechnya, where he was tortured. He went over to the side of the Kadyrovites, served as a security guard for Ramzan Kadyrov. Fled Russia in 2004. After that, his father, Sharapudi, was detained, who, according to his testimony, was also kept for 11 months in a secret prison and released in November 2005. Sharapudi Israilov approached human rights organizations and was helped to leave Russia. Having received asylum in Europe, Israilov's father and son filed applications with the Russian Prosecutor General's Office alleging illegal detention and torture, in which they accused high-ranking Chechen officials and Ramzan Kadyrov personally. On the complaint of Sharapudi Israilov, a criminal case was opened, and the decision to refuse to initiate a criminal case on the application of Umar Israilov was canceled five times. The further fate of the investigation is unknown.

The Israilovs also appealed to the Strasbourg court. Complaints were registered, but due to procedural reasons (one of Strasbourg's requests did not reach the hiding Israilovs) they were excluded from the list of court cases. To date, the terms have been restored and new complaints have been filed.

Some time after applying to Strasbourg (apparently, after the representative of the Russian government to the ECHR got acquainted with the content of the complaints), they tried to return Umar Israilov ...

Yesterday, the trial of this high-profile case began at the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Offenses. Novaya Gazeta publishes excerpts from the indictment read out in the courtroom with minimal explanation.

Page. 22 of the Indictment ( hereinafter OZ . - Ed. ): “On May 31, 2008, a Russian citizen (Chechen) Artur Kurmakaev (Denisultanov) came into contact with Umar Israilov.

He told Umar Israilov that he was aware of his conflict with Ramzan Kadyrov and could help resolve the conflict, provided that Umar Israilov withdraws his complaint from the Strasbourg court.

Kurmakaev said that Ramzan Kadyrov sent him. And if the complaints from the ECHR are withdrawn, then Kadyrov promised the Israilovs work and money. Kurmakaev also said that Kadyrov asked to be told that he "didn't want other Israilov relatives to have problems in Chechnya." In the end, Kurmakaev warned Israilov that there were people who were "sent to kill."

On June 2, 2008, Kadyrov called Kurmakaev and said that "the situation has changed" and Kurmakaev no longer needs to persuade Israilov to return to Chechnya.

... Artur Kurmakaev applied for political asylum to the Austrian authorities. On June 19, he was arrested for violating immigration laws and deported to Russia.”

The Austrian authorities used the information received ineffectively. Also, they did not pay due attention to the repeated appeals of Umar Israilov himself to the Austrian police about surveillance of him and requests for protection.

On January 13, 2009, Umar Israilov was shot dead in the center of Vienna during an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt.

Literally a few hours after the murder of Umar Israilov, the Austrian police went on the trail of the killers, and two months later, almost everyone who was part of an organized criminal group created to kidnap (in case of failure, kill) Israilov was arrested. Only the direct killer, Lecha Bogatyrov, managed to escape. According to the Austrian prosecutor's office, Bogatyrov is in Chechnya. The criminal case against Bogatyrov has been separated into a separate proceeding.

There are three in the dock.

Otto Kaltenbrunner is Chechen Ruslan Edilov, a Russian citizen who changed his name when he received refugee status.

He is accused of “being the organizer of the crime, dealing with logistics and coordination. During the preparations for the "assassination or assassination of Umar Israilov", he maintained contacts with the Chechen leadership." (p. 1 OC)

“Kaltenbrunner was known <among the Chechen diaspora> as an active supporter of the Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and was authorized to collect information for the Chechen leadership on the Chechen diaspora in Austria…” (p. 16 OD).

Suleiman Dadaev is a Russian citizen, born in 1973, also granted refugee status, and an ardent supporter of Dokku Umarov.

Turpal-Ali Yeshurkaev is a Russian citizen, born in 1978, who also received refugee status, the brother of Kasum Yeshurkaev, a Chechen refugee who has been an unspoken agent of the Austrian police for many years.

Page 6 OZ: “On 13.1.2009, these two, together with Lecha Bogatyrov, participated in the deliberate murder of Umar Israilov, following an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt ... with the aim of transferring Umar Israilov to the hands of the Chechen leadership.”

Lecha Bogatyrov, according to the indictment, is a direct killer. On page 19 of the OP it says , “Little is known of his life. In his application for political asylum, it is said that "Bogatyrov" took an active part in the first Chechen war. During the second Chechen war, he helped "everyone who needed his help." According to unconfirmed information, Bogatyrov was used by the Chechen leadership as "a person to do dirty work." It is obvious that Bogatyrov was involved in various crimes, including contract killings ... "

During the investigation, it was established that the murder of Umar Israilov was ordered. Here is what is said about the customers on pages 26-29 of the OZ: “10.22. 2008 Chechen "delegation" consisting of Shaa Turlaev and Umar Sugaipov arrived in Austria. Turlaev was a member of the Chechen resistance, but now he has become one of the closest people to Ramzan Kadyrov. Sugaipov also worked as an adviser to Ramzan Kadyrov, despite receiving political asylum in the UK.

These two were met at the Vienna airport by Otto Kaltenbrunner, Shamkhan Mezhidov and Lecha Bogatyrov... Turlaev stayed at Kaltenbrunner's house, which, according to representatives of the Chechen diaspora, was a clear sign of his status and a demonstration of Ramzan Kadyrov's loyalty.

25.10. 2008 Kaltenbrunner, Mezhidov and Turlaev went to Paris in order to establish contact with the leaders of the Chechen French diaspora... Then Turlaev and Kaltenbrunner went to Strasbourg, another center of the Chechen diaspora.

Officially, Turlaev came to Europe for a new prosthesis (Turlaev's leg was amputated due to gangrene that developed in unsanitary conditions after being wounded when he fought in the underground. - E.M.). However, there are serious grounds to suspect that Turlaev was sent by Kadyrov to organize the repatriation of Chechen refugees. There was an intention to speed up this process, if necessary, by resorting to forceful methods.

It also looks plausible that Turlaev's visit was caused by the failure of the mission of Artur Kurmakaev, and now Otto Kaltenbrunner has been appointed responsible for the "return" of Umar Israilov to Chechnya.

The main task set before him is to transfer Umar Israilov into the hands of the Chechen authorities. Israilov was planned to be kidnapped and taken through the Czech Republic and Poland to Russia. The plan was considered risky, since according to Kurmakaev, it was known that Israilov had weapons and could resist. Thus, it was decided that if the kidnapping was impossible, then Umar Israilov should be killed.

It is not possible to determine whether Shaa Turlayev acted on his own initiative <in developing this plan> or whether he passed on orders from Ramzan Kadyrov. But it has been established that he is one of those who are in the inner circle of Ramzan Kadyrov and among those who lead Chechnya.

Therefore, the "prosecution" believes that Shaa Turlaev is the customer of this crime, representing and pursuing in this status the interests of the "leadership" of the Chechen Republic ...

It was also established that, apparently, the direct organization of the crime began immediately after Turlaev's visit to Austria. <Then> in November 2008, Otto Kaltenbrunner traveled to Eastern Europe. He went only a few days after the return of Shaa Turlaev "to Chechnya". Then Kaltenbrunner once again left Austria in the period from 9.12.2008 to 04.01.2009. The itinerary of his second trip was traced using the billings of his mobile phone... There is reason to believe that at least one of these trips was to Russia, to Chechnya. There he met with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. This is recorded in two photographs taken with a mobile phone. Kaltenbrunner and Kadyrov are captured in a warm friendly embrace. The photographs were most likely taken at Kadyrov's residence. In the background you can see the cleaning servants ... "

The trial in Vienna will last from 16 to 26 November.

Comment for "New"

Alvi Karimov, press secretary of the head of the Chechen Republic: "The Austrian prosecutor's office has no evidence of the involvement of the head of the Chechen Republic in this case"

“There are three Chechens in the dock who are accused of murder. Chechens are people too, and there are many more of those who do not break the law. The Austrian court will have to find out whether the defendants are really guilty or not. I can confidently say that Ramzan Kadyrov has nothing to do with the murder of Umar Israilov either directly or indirectly. I analyzed dozens of sources relating to this process, and came to the conclusion that the Austrian prosecutor's office has no evidence of the involvement of the head of the Chechen Republic in this case. Everything else is speculation and distortion of various journalists, human rights activists and deputies. People who have nothing to do with the trial and the investigating authorities.”