MAKHACHKALA. Nov 19 (Interfax-AVN) - The questioning of Salman Raduyev, the main suspect in the trial of Chechen terrorists underway in Makhachkala, will continue on Monday. Raduyev is on trial together with his abettors Turpalali Adgireyev, Aslanbek Alkhazurov and Hussein Gaisumov.
Raduyev plead not guilty to organizing the terrorist act, which claimed many lives.
He said he was "a soldier of the armed forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria subordinate to General Dudayev" in 1996. "A soldier cannot be responsible for the decisions of politicians, and relations between the Chechen republic and Russia were not a problem of mine," Raduyev said.
As for the war waged by Chechens against the federal force, Raduyev said "before prosecuting me, it is necessary to prosecute Pavel Grachyov [a former Russian defense minister] and General Sokolov [a former commander of the North Caucasian military district]. We would not have had the armed forces if they had not given us weapons."
Raduyev pleaded guilty to only two charges, namely breaking the inviolability of the home and the illegal captivity of Kizlyar residents, whom the rebels took hostage in the town hospital in January 1996.
Yet he denied that hostages were forced to go towards Chechnya. Raduyev said that hostages, among them representatives of the Dagestani authorities, had volunteered to go to Chechnya together with the rebels. He confirmed his statement by reading out the testimony of several dozens of ex-hostages. All of them said that they had voluntary agreed to accompany the rebels to Chechnya for the sake of a peace settlement of the conflict.
Raduyev also denied charges of manslaughter and brutal murders. "As I was the political leader of the operation, murders were not in my interest. If any of the fighters killed people, I am ready to help the court with their identification, but I cannot be held responsible for every murder," he said.
The trial was moved from the building of the Dagestani Supreme Court to the first investigatory isolation ward of Makhachkala on Monday.
The trial is taking place in two halls. The court, the prosecutors, the counsels for the defense and the accused occupy one of the halls, while the lawyers, the witnesses and the victims occupy the other. The press is also present. A televised contact has been set up between the two halls. Another TV screen has been installed in the grand hall of the Dagestani Supreme Court.