[political journalist] Valery Vyzhutovich wrote in...

[political journalist] Valery Vyzhutovich wrote in [the Russian daily business newspaper ] Vremya MN that the life-sentence handed to [Chechen terrorist] Salman Raduyev was "in fact passed long before the end of the trial. And evidence from the prisoners at the bar and speeches of their attorneys were just an attempt to appeal against the decision.
"I sense a touch of bitter irony in the fact that the court reforms, which promise independence of the judiciary from the executive, have started with a show-trial.
"The Chechen terrorist was sentenced to life imprisonment, since the moratorium on capital punishment is still in force in our country.
"Several participants at the international conference "Russia without capital punishment", underway at the Duma at the same time as the Mahachkala trial, were really sorry that the death penalty could not be carried out.
"Liberal leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky's said Chechen terrorists "ought to be executed on Red Square. If people in the street were asked for their opinions on that matter, they would say the same."