MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Supreme Court's Military Board on Thursday overturned the acquittal of four members of a special commando unit, including its commander Captain Eduard Ulman, who were charged with murdering several Chechen residents during the anti-guerilla operation, but were acquitted by a jury in May 2004.
The acquittal was contested by the relatives of the victims, and the Main Military Prosecutor's Office supported their petition.
The Supreme Court ruled to send the case for new consideration to the North Caucasus Military Court.
The North Caucasus Military Court on May 11 acquitted Ulman and three other soldiers under his command who were indicted for killing six Chechen civilians. The jury in Rostov-on-Don on April 29 found them not guilty due to the absence of a corpus delicti.
After the verdict was handed down, Ulman was released from custody in the courtroom. The other defendants were not held in custody, as they had signed pledges not to leave the area.
The servicemen were accused of executing six Chechen civilians who were travelling in a jeep and reportedly failed to stop at the soldiers' command on April 11, 2002.