– Is this the woman who screams at night?» I asked the attendant.
«Yes, that’s her.
I have a premonition that she will be taken to our cell, and indeed, when I return from court, I see her in the cell.
In the meantime, I’m being led to the exit, where the other prisoners are waiting to get into the car. In the corridor, a group of prisoners, two men and women, Russians, are waiting. They are dressed decently enough. One of the men glared at me indecently. I pretended not to notice.
In the basement cell of the court, I met these women and learned that they were all in the same criminal case for transporting and selling heroin. Tatiana and Natasha are drug addicts with experience and repeat offenders. Timur is also a drug addict, the son of rich parents, in prison for the first time. Alexander, the recidivist, the criminal mastermind, he was the one who was devouring me with his eyes. In a week’s time I will meet him by correspondence.
February 2010, we are still in prison, no investigative actions are being carried out. We have extended the period of detention for another two months. Investigator Kamchik submitted to court the petition for prolongation of term of detention with the additional testimony of witness Kostiuk. This time, she testifies that after the murder we committed, we allegedly threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the murder. For two years, she was silent for fear of reprisals, but her conscience tormented her, and she decided to reveal the murderers to law enforcement agencies.
I couldn’t contain my indignation.
– How absurd, do you believe that?» I asked the investigator. Valera added:
– And then they forgot to threaten her for two years. So, in your opinion, it turns out?!
Ohemchik did not look at us, gave the appearance that he was looking for something in the papers. At this time, another investigator in our case, Synaa, entered the courtroom with papers in his hands. Synaa asked permission from the court and read the petition:
Please attach to the materials of the court on prolongation of term of detention of the accused, the decision of the Ministry of interior on the application in respect of witness Kostyuk program on the protection of the witness, stating the witness statement with the request to protect her from the accused, who, even while in custody, may order her murder.
What I heard hit me like an electric shock. This indicated that they did not want to let us go during the preliminary investigation. The court, as usual, followed the lead of the investigation. Extended our arrest for three months.
There is no limit to our indignation, do they believe her testimony?
We, our relatives, our children did not stop writing complaints in all directions. Children even addressed the President of Russia via social networks. The Prosecutor General’s office of Russia sent our complaints to the Prosecutor’s office of the Republic for verification. Finally, the assistant Prosecutor of the Republic of Bamaev (last name changed) recognized the Protocol of identification and conclusion of the examination of the corpse illegal. Appointed a new examination to establish the racial identity of the corpse. That is, the investigation did not have any other evidence other than the empty testimony of Kostyuk.
The body was not identified, the examination was mistaken with the racial identity of the corpse. According to the examination, the death occurred in February 2007, not in may. Not the investigation, but we ourselves proved our innocence through appeals to the court and the Republican Prosecutor’s office.
