Accused Killer Of Chechen War Veteran Beaten In Custody

Colonel Yury Budanov sits in the defendant's box during his murder trial in Rostov-na-Donu in April 2003.

MOSCOW -- A suspect in the high-profile murder of Russian Colonel Yury Budanov has reportedly been beaten while in custody.

Moscow City Court was scheduled to hold a hearing on August 22 on prolonging Yusup Temirkhanov's pre-trial detention.

Temirkhanov's lawyer, Murad Musayev, told RFE/RL that the hearing was delayed for two hours, however, after his client appeared in the courtroom showing signs of having been severely beaten.

Musayev said Temirkhanov told him he was beaten by police after he was taken out of the detention center.

Russian Interior Ministry officials later said police had to use force against Temirkhanov after he "violently resisted" a mandatory search by officers escorting him to court.

Temirkhanov, a Chechen, was arrested after Budanov, convicted for the murder of an 18-year-old Chechen girl, was shot dead last year.

Temirkhanov has denied any involvement.