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Court absolves Russian soldiers of killing Chechen civilians

ROSTOV-ON-DON / PRAGUE - The North Caucasus Military District Court announced a not-guilty verdict today in the case against four Russian special forces soldiers accused of killing six Chechen civilians.

According to the jury, whose verdict of May 19 immediately sparked outrage among Chechens as well as Moscow-backed Chechen politicians, they felt that Captain Ulman and the other soldiers of the Russian Military Intelligence (GRU) were just following orders and therefore should not be held responsible for the killing that took place near the Chechen town of Shatoi in January 2002.

While on patrol to catch suspected guerrillas, Ulman's unit tried to stop a car with alleged rebels inside. However, when the driver ignored the order to stop, the soldiers opened fire, killing one passenger and wounding several others. When the soldiers discovered all the occupants were civilians, they began administering medical aid and then asked their superior for instructions. They were told to end up with "six dead bodies." After rechecking the order several times with no forthcoming changes, Captain Ulman realized there was nothing he could do but obey it. So he and his men fatally shot the Chechens and set the car on fire.

The court was unable to identify the man who issued the order. Captain Ulman named Major Alexei Perevelevsky, but added that he was just taking over from Colonel Vladimir Plotnikov. However, Plotnikov denied giving such an order; as a result no actual villain was identified.

Due to the court’s ruling, the relatives’ claims will not be compensated by the soldiers but by the state. And to make matters worse, the soldiers can seek compensation for any moral damage they incurred during the trial. The prosecution told journalists afterward that they would certainly appeal the verdict.

But it is already the second not-guilty verdict reached in this case. A year ago the first jury trial also arrived at a non-guilty verdict, which was appealed in Russia's Supreme Court who ordered the Rostov-on-Don court to hold a new hearing. Unfortunately, this jury reached the same conclusion.

(T/E)