5 Stand Trial For Terror In S. Russia

Trial is entering the final stage in a terror case heard in the Stavropol Territorial Court, where 5 men have been indicted on terrorism charges. During the session on Monday, the last of the defendants will take the floor for the last word. The judgment is to be pronounced afterwards. The public prosecutor has demanded long prison terms ranging from 14 to 20 years for each of the accused, depending on their respective roles in the offences they have committed. The accused have been identified as Aslan and Murad Bastanov, Muratbi Baimurakov, Taikan Frantsuzov, and Muratbi Tuganbayev. The court proceedings indicate they all took mine-laying and bomb-planting training in guerrilla camps run by Jordanian-born warlord Hattab in Chechnya and subsequently joined Chechen militant bands. The trial has gone on for nearly 5 months.