The Moscow City Court has announced the dismissal of the jury in the trial of the alleged killer of former Russian Army Colonel Yury Budanov, who was convicted of murdering a Chechen girl.
The court cited the "inability of some jurors to attend the process."
A new jury is to be selected in March.
Lawyers for defendant Yusup Temerkhanov say the jury was dismissed to avoid an acquittal.
On February 11, the lawyers said a witness in the case was kidnapped and beaten by police, who allegedly demanded he confess to receiving money to falsely tesitfy in court.
Prior to that, the witness had changed his description of the killer and said the defendant does not look like the man who shot Budanov in 2011, which was two years after Budanov's release from prison.
The court cited the "inability of some jurors to attend the process."
A new jury is to be selected in March.
Lawyers for defendant Yusup Temerkhanov say the jury was dismissed to avoid an acquittal.
On February 11, the lawyers said a witness in the case was kidnapped and beaten by police, who allegedly demanded he confess to receiving money to falsely tesitfy in court.
Prior to that, the witness had changed his description of the killer and said the defendant does not look like the man who shot Budanov in 2011, which was two years after Budanov's release from prison.