Prisoner Akhyad Mezhiyev has passed away in infirmary #12 of the Russian federal penitentiary system. In 2004, he had been convicted of complicity in two high-profile terrorist attacks in Moscow — the bombing of a McDonald's restaurant, and aiding in the capture of hostages at the musical ‘Nord-Ost’. According to unofficial information, he died from a severe form of tuberculosis. An investigation conducted into the circumstances of his death found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Akhyad Mezhiyev was the youngest member Chechen native Aslambek Khaskhanov's criminal gang. He was brought to court for participating in the bombing of a McDonald's located in the southwest of Moscow, and for the taking of hostages at the Dubrovka theater. In 2004, 18-year-old Akhyad Mezhiyev was sentenced to 18 years by Moscow City Court under Article 105 of the Criminal Code (murder), Article 222 (trafficking in weapons), and Article 205 (committing a terrorist act). His brother Alikhan Mezhiyev received 22 years. Akhyad Mezhiyev had been serving out his sentence in one of the penal colonies in the Kirov region, and in five years would have qualified for parole.

The Federal Penitentiary System press service in the Kirov region confirmed the death of a prisoner named Mezhiyev, from serious illness, adding that he «suffered progressive disease not covered by government resolution 54 („submission of convicts for medical examination for release from punishment in connection with illness“), which would have been grounds for a court to release him.» According to the authorities, the death of Akhyad Mezhiyev reviewed.

At the Kirov regional investigation branch of the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR), they stated the death was audited, but no criminal case opened — nothing untoward was found in the incident by investigators. As explained by the branch, in 2013 Mezhiyev was diagnosed with an illness and transferred to the prison infirmary for the region.

The ICR is not stating exactly what was Akhyad Mezhiyev's medical diagnosis. According to the Rosbalt news agency, the prisoner came down with a severe form of tuberculosis in December, and his condition worsened. «Akhyad's death was not unexpected, that's just how it goes,» stated an agency source, noting that almost no one convicted of major a terrorist attack has lived to the end of their sentence.

Recall that in mid-December last year the ICR for the Moscow region resumed its investigation into the terrorist attack at Dubrovka: Chechen native Hassan Zakayev had been detained trying to enter the Crimea with forged with forged documents. He was on the «Wanted» list. According to the ICR, he had been a member of Shamil Basayev's criminal gang, and was a direct accomplice in the preparation of the terrorist attack and hostage taking at Dubrovka. At the request of Main Investigative Directorate of the ICR, he is being detained by the Presnensky district court in Moscow until the end of February 2015.

Representative for victims of the Moscow terrorist attack, and chairman of the Presidium of the Moscow attorneys, Igor Trunov never heard of the accused: “I know nothing about this defendant being involved in the terrorist attack. I am hearing this name for the first time. The fact is, the victims have not been allowed to attend any of the criminal proceedings against accomplices in this terrorist attack. I sent a lot of requests so that the victims would be admitted to these, but the court never rules in our favor. Now we only get copies of resolutions concerning another defendant getting detained, or that the criminal case has been reopened, and so on.”

By Irina Alexandrova (Kirov) and Anton Prusakov (Nizhniy Novgorod)
Jan 13th, 2015
In 'Kommersant.ru'

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