Author

Makarov M.A., Smakhtin E.V.

Title of article

Criminal procedure code and charter of criminal proceedings in terrorism investigation: learning from the past

Section

Improving law enforcement practice

Issue, year

4 (30) 2014

Abstract

Basic procedural institutions of terrorism investigation are studied by comparing the provisions of the Charter of criminal proceedings of the Russian Empire in 1864 and the current procedural law. The comparative solutions to the following investigation problems by Charter and the Code are shown: 1) terrorists confess to less serious crimes, representing themselves as accomplices (articles 208, 222 of the RF Criminal Code) to avoid punishment for terrorism (article 205 of the RF Criminal Code); 2) mass absence of prosecution witnesses at the hearing, giving reason to doubt the objectivity and the admissibility of evidence; 3) low efficiency of overt procedural activities, the need for covert operations based not on the particular fact, but on crime detection actions against terrorist organizations members; 4) the use of force during the arrest, causing the terrorists death, excludes the achievement of criminal law and criminal justice goals and also leads to the loss of  evidence (to prove the guilt of the survived terrorists); 5) a significant amount of time passes between the alleged crime and passing the sentence, the minimum time of the terrorism investigation is 12 months, as a result higher courts stop the prosecution (changing the sentence for terrorists Atgeriev, Alkhazurov, Gaysumov in April 2002 by the RF Supreme Court due to the fact that more than five years have passed from the day of committing crimes till passing the sentence). The authors come to the paradoxical conclusion that the procedural law of the XIX century was much more effective than modern one.

Keywords

investigation of terrorist crimes, terrorism, terrorists, charter of criminal proceedings.

References

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