Chief Chechen Ramzan Kadyrov criticized judges in the southern Russian republic for being soft on "terrorists and murderers." At a meeting with judges in Grozny, Kadyrov said, "At the moment, we have a few criminal cases that are not being carried through to their logical conclusion. Bandits, terrorists and murderers are being released from court rooms because of the unscrupulousness of our investigators and judges."
Referring to the recent case of the Magomadov brothers accused of killing four policemen, Kadyrov questioned why the men, previously aquitted by a jury, were not being charged with terrorism.
Kadyrov said, "There is proof of their crime, but they were set free. It is necessary to arrest them again and review the case taking into consideration every piece of evidence available."
Kadyrov also demanded that the judges "change their attitude to work."
He said, "I bear responsibility for the security of every Chechen, and those who fail to prosecute terrorists and bandits violate the law themselves. It is unacceptable when selfish interests influence the decisions made by judges."