Putin allies demand death penalty after Moscow terror attack

On Friday evening, Russia was hit by a bloody terrorist attack when four armed people entered the Crocus concert hall in Krasnogorsk where 6,000 people had gathered for a rock concert. Inside, the terrorists started shooting around, killing a total of 137 people. A further 150 people are said to be injured.

The terrorists also set fire to the building, which eventually caused the roof to collapse.

Read more about the Moscow terror here!

According to the Russian security service, eleven people have been arrested, including four foreign nationals who allegedly carried out the attack. These four have been remanded in custody.

The attack, for which IS has claimed responsibility, has shaken Russia, and now senior members of President Vladimir Putin’s regime are advocating for the reintroduction of the death penalty, writes The Moscow Times.

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Medvedev: “Death for death”

In the 1990s, the death penalty in Russia was put on hold, but in connection with the terrorist attack, many people want it to be reintroduced.

Leader of Putin’s party in the Duma, Vladimir Vasiliev, has, among other things, called for a review of the issue of the death penalty.

– This question will definitely be dealt with in depth and professionally. A decision will be made that meets the mood and expectations of our society, he says in a message.

According to The Moscow Times, Jorji Afonin, deputy chairman of the City Duma’s security committee, said on Saturday that “it is necessary to reintroduce the death penalty when it comes to terrorism and murder”.

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Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of the country’s security council, has also spoken out in favor of punishing the terrorists.

“Terrorists only understand retaliatory terror […] death for death,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.

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Tortured

On Monday, the four main men were presented for remand in a court hearing in Moscow. According to news agencies present in court, one of the four was barely conscious during the court session.

This is reported by NTB.

Russian media have reported that the men were tortured by the security forces during the interrogations. They are identified as Dalerdjon Mirzojev (32), Saidakrami Ratjabalizoda (30), Sjamsidin Fariduni (25) and Mukhammadsobir Faizov (19). All are from Tajikistan.

It was initially claimed in the Russian media that three or all four of the accused had pleaded guilty in the case, but according to the court documents it is only two, Mirzoyev and Ratjabalizoda. All four have been remanded in custody until 22 May.

However, the condition of the men raises strong doubts about whether they have spoken freely during the interrogations. They are charged under terrorism clauses, which currently have life imprisonment as the maximum penalty.

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Fears the death penalty will be abused

No matter how natural the discussion of the death penalty is after such a terrorist attack, it does not come without concern when in Russia.

Recently, Russia put the international LGBT movement on the country’s list of terrorist and extremist groups.

In addition, Russia has cracked down hard on regime critics and people who support Ukraine or other dissident groups. It is therefore feared that the reintroduction of the death penalty could be misused.

– If we allow the death penalty for terrorism, do you realize how many people the system is going to kill? wrote the Russian women’s rights activist Aljona Popova on Telegram at the weekend, reports The Moscow Times.