On May 24, the trial of Umar Israilov alleged murders continued at the Vienna Criminal Court (Landesgericht für Strafsachen) in Austria.

During the proceeding, the defendants repeated their previous claims. According to Malika Israilova, Umar Israilov’s widow, her husband had been threatened in the summer of 2008, nearly six month before the fatal attack because of the ongoing legal action by him against Ramzan Kadyrov. Some Chechen negotiators had come to Austria for Israilov and they had urged him to appeal to Kadyrov for a return to his native country. The dispute in the Donauinsel (Danube Island) in central Vienna was recorded on a mobile phone and a transcript was read to the jury, chaired by Friedrich Forsthuber.

The messenger always refers back to Kadyrov in the discussion by his first name, but Umar Israilov does not pull back. “I shit on his power and his money. I have money and power,” said Israilov in the dialogue. But the Chechen negotiators insist, “I have came here to talk with you” and promises, “For the repentant returning home, you would wait for your documents in Bratislava.” Nevertheless, the delegate remained hard with a hint but did not elaborate: “If you don’t come back, who knows what will happen…” A reward for the return of Israilov had been debated. The negotiators promised a third person 50 thousand Euros, if Israilov came back to Chechnya.

On the other hand, there still is not any response from the Moscow Prosecutor General’s Office to Judge Friedrich Forsthuber’s request for assistance in the interrogation of Ramzan Kadyrov and Lecha Bogatirov, who is the alleged perpetrator.

The next hearing is set to continue on May 30.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco