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Daghestani Capital’s Ex-Mayor Jailed For Life

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A former mayor of Daghestan’s capital, Makhachkala, has been sentenced to life in prison.

On August 27, Russia's North Caucasus Regional Military Court found Said Amirov guilty of organizing the murder of Investigative Committee official Arsen Gadzhibekov in 2011.

Amirov was also convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in the Daghestani town of Kaspiisk.

The head of his defense team, Vladimir Postanyuk, said it would appeal the verdict.

Seven co-defendants in the case were sentenced to prison terms of between 10 and 22 years.

All eight had pleaded not guilty.

In July 2014, Amirov was sentenced to 10 years in jail after he was found guilty of planning a terrorist act and possessing illegal weapons.

Amirov became Makhachkala’s first elected mayor in 1998. He survived several assassination attempts, one of which, in 1993, left him wheelchair-bound.

Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax

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