The four men accused of staging the terror attack in a Russian concert hall killing more than 130 people appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday, March 24th, 2024, with signs that appear to show severe beatings as they faced formal terrorism charges. One of them appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.
A court statement said two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault after being charged in the preliminary hearing, though the men’s condition raised questions about the sincerity of their claims. There had been reports in Russian media outlets that said all four men admitted guilt but only 2 formally entered guilty pleas in court.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court formally charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22.
Media reports claimed that the men were tortured during interrogation by the security services, and Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni showed signs of heavy bruising, including swollen faces,
Rachabalizoda also had a heavily bandaged ear with reports suggesting he had his ear cut off during interrogation, although there are no official confirmations of these reports.
The fourth suspect, Faizov, was brought to court from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed through most of the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts.
The hearing came as Russia observed a National Day of Mourning for the attack on the suburban Crocus City Hall concert venue that killed at least 137 people.
The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, (ISIS) is the deadliest on Russian soil in years.
The four suspected attackers were arrested on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, with seven more people detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the nation Saturday night. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine, a claim the Ukrainian authorities firmly deny.
Events at cultural institutions were canceled Sunday, flags were lowered to half-staff and television entertainment and advertising were suspended. A steady stream of people added to a makeshift memorial near the burned-out concert hall, creating a huge mound of flowers.
Some of the mourners who spoke to journalists said “People came to a concert, some people came to relax with their families, and any one of us could have been in that situation. And I want to express my condolences to all the families that were affected here and I want to pay tribute to these people,”
“It is a tragedy that has affected our entire country, “It just doesn’t even make sense that small children were affected by this event”, another mourner said. Three children were among the dead.
