Moscow: The 4 defendants appeared in court heavily injured

The four accused of the massacre in Moscow on Friday afternoon at the Crocus Concert Hall bear strong signs of violence.

The defendants appeared in court with swollen and blackened eyes, an ear bandage while one of the defendants appeared to be unconscious. All four arrested were remanded in custody until May 22 and face life in prison.

Images from the court show three of the alleged perpetrators being led in handcuffs to the special ward for the accused. The fourth was transferred to a special chair, unable to open his eyes.

Telegram leaked a statement from a judge who allegedly said that Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev and Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda fully admitted their guilt. All appear to have been beaten and there are reports that at least one was electrocuted. “The man, named Fayzov, appeared to be unconscious as he was wheeled into court in a wheelchair wearing a thin hospital gown,” the BBC points out. “One appeared to be missing an eye,” according to Reuters news agency. They also allegedly cut off the ear of one of the arrested and gave it to him to eat.

No comment from the Kremlin on torture

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports that the four men who allegedly carried out the attack at Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall were tortured after their capture.

“In the videos from the court, it can be seen that the accused has visible signs of violence: bruises, swollen face, bloody head with a bandage, one of them is in a wheelchair and with closed eyes. Earlier, videos and photos surfaced online suggesting torture. What happened to them and how can you comment on it?’ Peskov was asked by a CNN reporter to get the answer:

“I leave that question unanswered.”

He also declined to comment on the Islamic State group’s (ISIS) claim of carrying out the attack.

“How can you explain the fact that ISIS was not mentioned by officials in the versions of this terrorist attack?” was also asked.

Then Peskov replied: “The investigation is ongoing. So far, no coherent version has been formulated, only preliminary data has been discussed. No version has been presented yet.”

Regarding the claim of responsibility, which was made via the ISIS-linked Amaq news agency on Saturday, Peskov said: “An investigation is underway. I repeat once again, here we have to wait for information from the official law enforcement agencies dealing with this matter.”

Neither President Vladimir Putin nor other senior Russian officials have commented on the claim by ISIS, which claimed responsibility while releasing videos of the attack.

Who are the 4 defendants?

Of the four defendants, three pleaded guilty to all charges, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

Who are the accused?

Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev: The 32-year-old was the first defendant to appear in court. Mirzoyev, from Tajikistan, had a temporary stay of three months in the southern Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, but it expired, according to RIA Novosti.

Saidakrami Rachabalizoda: He appeared as a second defendant and told the court he had Russian residence papers but could not remember where they were. He communicated through an interpreter, according to state media RIA Novosti. Rachabalizoda was reportedly born in 1994.

Shamsidin Fariduni: He was born in 1998 in Tajikistan and is a citizen of the Central Asian country. Fariduni officially worked at a factory in the Russian city of Podolsk and was registered in the city of Krasnogorsk, according to state media RIA Novosti.

Muhammadsober Faizov: The fourth defendant appeared unconscious in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a doctor to his court appearance. Faizov was temporarily unemployed. He previously worked at a barbershop in Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow, and is registered in that city, according to state media RIA Novosti. According to information, he was born in 2004.