ROSTOV-ON-DON. Oct 12 (Interfax-AVN) - The North Caucasus Military District Court acquitted Interior Ministry Forces servicemen Yevgeny Khudyakov and Sergei Arakcheyev on Wednesday. The pair were accused of killing three Chechen construction workers in January 2003.
On October 6, Khudyakov and Arakcheyev were cleared of all charges by a jury.
In June 2004, both servicemen were acquitted by the court of the North Caucasus Military District and by a jury, but the Supreme Court's Military Board annulled the verdict and ordered an additional investigation.
After the repeat investigation the jury again declared Khudyakov and Arakcheyev not guilty by eleven votes to one, following a discussion that lasted for three hours.
According to the files of the investigation, a reconnaissance squad under Khudyakov and Arakcheyev's command were accused of stopping a car in Grozny in January 2003, ordering its three passengers, all of them residents of the village of Lakha-Varandy, to get out of the car and lie on the ground, and shooting them dead.In another episode, Khudyakov and Arakcheyev were accused of ordering their squad to stop a car before Khudyakov searched the driver and seized valuables from him, and then ordered his soldiers to take him to the garrison, where he questioned the driver and shot him in the leg three times.
Khudyakov was initially charged with murder, robbery, premeditated destruction of property and abuse of power, and Arakcheyev was accused of murder, robbery and abuse of power.
Both Arakcheyev and Khudyakov pleaded not guilty to the charges.