No Pardon for Budanov
by Sergei Borisov 27 September 2004
Colonel Yuri Budanov, killer of a Chechen girl, will stay in prison after his former army superior, the current governor of Ulyanovsk, backtracks on a decision to pardon him.
ULYANOVSK, Russia--A former colonel jailed for kidnapping and murdering a Chechen girl and pardoned by a regional commission on 15 September will not, after all, be able to walk free with a presidential pardon.
This change of direction in the long and always controversial case of Yuri Budanov came after the largest street demonstrations by Chechens in years, opposition from the pro-Kremlin Chechen government, and--it seems--behind-the-scenes pressure from the Kremlin.
THE BUDANOV CASE
The Budanov case has become a touchstone issue, as Budanov is the first and almost the only Russian officer to have been punished for crimes against Chechen civilians. Human rights groups have leveled many accusations against Russian troops. Budanov's case has also gained added prominence for its convoluted course.
===== Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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