Suspects show signs of torture as first charges filed over Moscow terrorist attack

A Moscow court has charged four suspects with carrying out the deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside of the city on Friday. Russian state media identified the defendants as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni, and Muhammadsobir Fayzov, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan. The men reportedly pleaded guilty to terrorism charges at a closed court session on Sunday evening and were placed under pre-trial detention until May 22.

Update: Asked by a journalist from CNN about the signs of torture visible on the suspects’ bodies at Sunday’s court session, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment. “I leave this question unanswered,” he said.

Four men have been charged in connection with the terrorist attack at a Moscow concert venue that left at least 137 dead on Friday.

One of the defendants, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair after reportedly coming directly from the ICU. Telegram channels linked to Russia’s security services reported that he was injured “during his pursuit” by police.

Multiple videos that appear to show alleged perpetrators of Friday’s attack being tortured by Russian security services began circulating on Telegram over the weekend, including one in which Shamsidin Fariduni appears to be electrocuted with a wire attached to his genitals. 

Under current Russian law, the maximum sentence the suspects could face is life in prison. In the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack, some Russian politicians and public figures have begun calling for the lifting of the country’s moratorium on the death penalty for future convicted terrorists.

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