JURIST - Paper Chase: Russia prosecutor asks for death penalty in Beslan terror case

[JURIST] Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel on Thursday requested a death sentence for Nurpashi Kulayev [Wikipedia profile], the sole surviving attacker from the September 2004 Beslan school siege [BBC backgrounder; MosNews report]. Kulayev has pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to terrorism and murder charges and denied [JURIST report] killing anyone during the attack.

Kulayev will not likely be executed since Russia placed a moratorium on capital punishment in 1996 as part of their entry agreement to the Council of Europe [official website]. Senior members of Russia's lower house of parliament addressed [RIA-Novosti report] Shepel's request with some sympathizing with the prosecutor and victims' families but have said that the moratorium will not be lifted even if Kulayev is sentenced to death by the court. AP has more.

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