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Defendant in Nemtsov Case Claims Not to Understand Accusations

Tamerlan Eskerkhanov

A defendant in the murder trial of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov has told his lawyers that he does not understand any of the charges against him, the Kommersant newspaper reported Tuesday.

Temirlan Eskerkhanov maintains that he does not understand the allegations after examining all 67 ledgers of court documents.

Eskerkhanov's lawyer Roza Magomedova said that the defendant thoroughly studied every graph containing his surname and even took notes in order to figure out the charges.

Investigators refused to translate the case materials into Eskerkhanov’s native Chechen language, claiming that the defendant has no problem with reading in Russian and has never asked for a translator during court hearings.

Eskerkhanov is accused of tracking Nemtsov’s movement before his murder. Eskerkhanov's lawyers maintain their client has an alibi and had never heard of Nemtsov before his death, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

A further two men, Zaur Dudaev and Anzor Gubashev, are currently being prosecuted for Nemtsov's murder. A third participant of the murder, Beslan Shavanov, was killed during the arrest.

Boris Nemtsov was shot in central Moscow on Feb. 27 last year. Five suspects were arrested in the case, with alleged mastermind Ruslan Mikhudinov being declared internationally wanted by the Interpol.

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