Chelyabinsk court is hearing the case of seven Tajiks accused of murdering a 17-year-old Russian

On September 26, another session of the Chelyabinsk Regional Court took place regarding the case of the murder of a 17-year-old teenager. The defendants, citizens of Tajikistan, do not agree with the charges.

The accused did not admit their guilt. According to local media, the lawyers disagreed with the charges of intentional murder by a group of individuals in collusion for hooligan motives.

Instead, the defense stated that the defendants had no intent to commit murder. The lawyer for the main suspect, Tajikistan native Shahrom Mirov, requested to reclassify the charges against his client to a lesser charge of homicide, as the video footage showed that at the moment the fatal knife blow was delivered, Mirov was alone with the deceased.

The lawyers for the other defendants in this case also stated that the prosecution requested an excessively harsh punishment.

The lawyer for Toir Jalilov stated that his client did not strike Evstafyev with a stick and requested the defendant be acquitted. However, in the event that it is proven that Toir did strike, he requested the minimum possible punishment—conditional.

The defender of Zoir Jalilov emphasized that although a stick was in his client’s hands, he did not use it. Therefore, there is no reason to deprive him of his freedom. The lawyer also demanded the acquittal of his client.

The lawyer for Imomov requested a conditional sentence for his client.

The defender of Akhmadov noted that her client did not participate in the fights, did not enter into collusion, did not strike anyone, and simply came along for company. He also did not know the reasons for the conflict and was not previously acquainted with the participants in the confrontation. The lawyer requested that the charges against her client be dropped. The defender of Odinayev made a similar request to the court.

The lawyer for Saburov stated that he did not use a stick in the fight and that the accusations against him are unproven. The defender requested to remove the charge of group collusion and to impose the minimum punishment on her client.

Recall that on the evening of April 9, 2023, in Chelyabinsk on Chicherin Street, 17-year-old resident Igor Evstafyev was killed. A group of migrants mistakenly identified him as their offender on social media, beat the young man, and then one of the attackers stabbed him.

The incident shocked the city. The case nearly led to mass riots.

As a result, seven citizens of Tajikistan were detained on suspicion of murder. The first to be detained was 20-year-old Shahrom Mirov, who was immediately labeled the main suspect. Following him, Toir Jalilov, Zoir Jalilov, and Najmiddin Imomov were detained. It turned out that Mirov and the Jalilovs are brothers, and Imomov is their relative. The Jalilov brothers studied at the Ural Regional College in the field of “law enforcement activities,” but did not complete their studies.

On April 13, the same court arrested the fifth participant of the brawl — 17-year-old Khurshed Odinaev. Immediately after, the sixth participant, Makhmasaida Azizov, was also arrested. The accused do not have Russian citizenship and do not speak Russian, the statement said.