Posted on 06/05/2002 10:45:49 PM PDT by Spar
Russian officer on trial for murder of Chechen woman remains defiant
Wed Jun 5, 8:05 PM ET
By SERGEI VENYAVSKY, Associated Press Writer
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia - Col. Yuri Budanov does not deny that he strangled to death an 18-year-old Chechen woman — but he defiantly casts himself as a Russian patriot and a victim of politics.
With a southern Russian court poised to issue a verdict in his case as early as next week, Budanov said he is sorry he killed Heda Kungayeva but insisted he has no regrets about his career in the military or the army's conduct in separatist Chechnya (news - web sites).
"I chose ... to defend my land, and I'm quite satisfied with my profession," Budanov told The Associated Press this week. "I can say that I did all I could."
Budanov, 37, is the first Russian serviceman to be publicly prosecuted for crimes in Chechnya, and his trial is being closely watched as a litmus test for human rights in Russia.
Human rights organizations and Chechen civilians say abuses by Russian troops — including looting, torture and killings — have been widespread during the Chechnya war, now in its third year. Russia has been under pressure from Western governments to investigate alleged abuses and bring perpetrators to justice.
Russian nationalists, meanwhile, have made Budanov their hero, gathering outside the court in Rostov-on-Don, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, to cheer him on.
Budanov was initially accused of rape, but prosecutors later dropped the charge. Lawyers for Kungayeva's family say forensic experts who examined the victim's body found evidence of rape but that the military covered it up.
Budanov says he suspected Kungayeva of being a rebel sniper and killed her in a fit of rage during an interrogation. He maintains the young woman threatened his family during the alleged interrogation.
Psychiatrists have testified that he was temporarily insane during the murder, but human rights groups have accused them of acting under pressure from the authorities.
"I was scared. Never before have I experienced such feelings. Never before have I been driven to such a state," Budanov said.
"I regret that I ever went to the Kungayev home, that I picked up and interrogated that girl, may she rest in peace. But who knew it would turn out this way?"
Still, Budanov indicated he could again be driven to violence to defend his wife, 3-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son.
"If they are ever threatened, I will rip everyone to shreds," he said.
Life in jail, since his arrest two years ago, has been humiliating, Budanov said, complaining that his lawyers were not doing enough to secure his release.
"I can't explain to them how vile it is in jail having to call a snot-nosed sergeant 'sir,'" he said. "After all, I am a colonel and nobody has stripped me of my rank yet."
Budanov said, without elaborating, that an investigator told him that the case against him had been ordered from the top. "After that, I realized that I shouldn't expect justice from anybody," he said.
The victim's mother also says she does not expect justice from the verdict, which is tentatively set for June 13.
"There is no way Budanov can escape God's punishment and he is well aware of this," Roza Bashayeva said. "The media here has made him a hero, but he is a criminal."
...On second thought...
Try viewing these Chechen snuff videos of abducted Russians and then you will know why he would feel fear at her threat.
**WARNING** These extremely disturbing videos show victims kidnapped by rebels from the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya. They were made by the terrorists themselves in order to reinforce their ransom demands. They show Throat cut and decapitation, Decapitation with an axe, Finger shot off, Beatings and intimidation, Infant torture, Finger cut off with a knife and more. I could not view more than the thumbnails to the videos of what these al-Qaeda allied Chechen terrorists did to those Russian men women and children. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN VIEWING THESE VIDEOS!
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