Lawyer Timur Idalov, who defended defendants in high-profile criminal cases, including those related to terrorism and extremism, was detained in Moscow. Now he himself was charged with committing a serious crime – under Part 1 of Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Threat of violence against a representative of authority”). Colleagues of Timur Idalov consider the accusation unfounded.
Investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (TFR), accompanied by FSB special forces, came to Timur Idalov’s house and conducted a search, during which, according to some reports, two Saiga-12 rifles and other weapons were found. According to Kommersant, lawyer Murad Musaev, representing the interests of Timur Idalov, told Kommersant that he had the appropriate permits – a hunting ticket and a license to collect weapons.
After the search, the owner of the apartment was handcuffed and escorted to the investigator, who charged him under Part 1 of Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Threat of violence against a representative of authority”). The lawyer’s case is being conducted by the 1st Directorate for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases (on crimes against the person and public security) of the Main Investigative Committee of the ICR in Moscow.
According to the investigation, the events underlying the accusation took place on October 3, 2022.
On that day, Timur Idalov, who participated as a defense counsel at the trial in the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow, “demonstratively and defiantly loudly, without hiding his disrespect for the court and the participants in the proceedings, expressed threats of violence against the public prosecutor.”
Currently, Timur Idalov has been detained on the basis of Art. 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, investigative actions are being carried out with him. In the near future, the investigation plans to petition the court to order a preventive measure in the form of detention for the lawyer.
Lawyer Murad Musaev called the charge brought against Timur Idalov “sucked out of thin air.” “He (Idalov. -“ Kommersant ”) had an ordinary skirmish with the public prosecutor in the courtroom, and now, six months later, they decided to qualify the remark he made then as a threat,” Mr. Musaev told Kommersant, noting that the remark expressed in The address of the public prosecutor’s remark did not contain any threat.
Addressing the prosecutor, Timur Idalov said: “What are you, commissioner Cattani (the hero of an Italian film about the mafia. – “Kommersant”)? So they shot him.”
“Idalov is one of those lawyers who fights for the principal: he floods the investigation and the courts with petitions and complaints, collects and presents evidence, and does not nod his head and does not obediently wave the protocols. Therefore, for many of his opponents, he is like a bone in the throat,” concluded Mr. Musaev.
It should be noted that Timur Idalov has already been convicted once. In the early 90s, he received a sentence for kidnapping, among whom was the candidate for the presidency of Armenia Serzh Jilavyan. True, later, as lawyer Murad Musaev told Kommersant, the verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation due to circumstances rehabilitating the defendant.
