Four men accused by the Russians of carrying out a deadly attack on a concert hall appeared to show clear signs of having been brutally interrogated when they were paraded in court.
The suspects, from Tajikistan, were charged with terror offences after Friday’s attack at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, left 137 people dead and at least 182 injured.
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Dalerdzhon Barotovich Mirzoyev, 32, Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, 30, Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, and Muhammadsobir Fayzov, 19, appeared at Basmanny district court in Moscow on Sunday.
Three of the men were marched into court, looking disoriented and showing black eyes, swollen faces and injuries which suggested signs of torture.
The man identified by the court as Rachabalizoda had a large bandage covering his right ear which had been partially severed, according to Russian media reports.
Plastic wrapping, or possibly a ripped bag, was seen loosely wrapped around Mirzoyev’s neck with his eyes black and bruised.
He leaned against the glass cage as the terrorism charge was read out.
Fariduni’s left cheek was puffed out as he leaned against a glass cage inside the court – while scratches, bruising and grazes were clearly visible across his face.
A fourth man, identified as Fayzov, was taken into the courtroom in a wheelchair.
He appeared in gaping hospital robes and his bloodied face was covered in cuts – while the Reuters news agency reported images showed he was “apparently missing an eye”.
Fayzov did not appear to be aware of his surroundings, sitting clothed in a white gown and struggling to keep his eyes open while being guarded behind the glass wall of the court’s enclosure for defendants.
Court officials said Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda admitted carrying out the attack after being charged.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov left a reporter’s question about the treatment of the suspects unanswered during a news conference.
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At the weekend, unverified footage of the suspects’ interrogations was published on social media. One of the suspects was shown having part of his ear cut off and stuffed into his mouth.
The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to the biggest loss of civilian life in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege.
