Brother and sister from Kabardino-Balkaria upheld long prison terms for supporting terrorism

The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the verdict of the Southern District Military Court against brother and sister Askerbiy and Lianna Khamukov from Kabardino-Balkaria. They were sentenced to 18 and 16.5 years in prison, respectively, for participating in the armed group "Imarat Kavkaz" and financing terrorism. They declared their innocence.

According to the investigation, Lianna Khamukova and Askerbiy Khamukov joined the armed group "Vilayat Kabarda, Balkaria and Karachay" in Kabardino-Balkaria in 2013, a structural unit of the terrorist organization "Imarat Kavkaz", which is banned in Russia. They hid its members and bought food for them. In 2015, the defendants organized a fundraiser for the "Islamic State" (banned in Russia). The Khamukovs prepared almost 1.5 million rubles for transfer to militants in Syria.

The defense stated that the testimony of the secret witnesses for the prosecution was based on guesses and assumptions. They were unable to say how they knew about the circumstances of the case and provide facts confirming the transfer of funds to Syria. They also could not answer whether they saw weapons in the Khamukovs' house. In addition, Lianna Khamukova's testimony was obtained under pressure: she gave birth to a child the day after her arrest.

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