Chelakh withdrew his plea of guilty

Vladislav Chelakh suspected of murdering 15 fellow militarymen at Arkankergen border post has withdrawn his plea of guilty, Chelakh’s lawyer Tulegen Berlikozhanov told Tengrinews.kz. “We have just left the detention facility. Vladislav has withdrawn the confessions he made earlier. He said that he did not commit the murder of his colleagues,” Berlikozhanov said. Chelakh’s second lawyer Serik Sarsenov pointed out that according to Vladislav, all the previous confessions were made under psychological pressure. Besides, Chelakh wrote a statement that he refused to give any testimonies until his lawyers are able to render him all the qualified legal support he needs. Sarsenov also noted that the lawyers had not yet studied the results of the psychological check-up. The investigator called off the family’s request to meet Vladislav without giving any sufficient reason. Earlier assistant to Kazakhstan’s military prosecutor Samar Sarlybayev said that results of the check-up would be announced within three days after the tests. Military prosecution office commented Chelakh’s decision to withdraw his plea of guilty Tengrinews.kz. “Withdrawal of a confession is a procedural right of any defendant and one of the ways of his or her protection. According to Article 23 of the Criminal Code, criminal proceedings shall be performed based on the principle of competitiveness and equality of prosecution and defense. Both the suspect and the defendant can freely defend or plead guilty. The investigation into Chelakh’s case is still in process and is held in strict compliance with the law,” press-secretary of the Military Prosecution office Akbar Abdildin said. Vladislav Chelakh has been undergoing a psychological check-up from June 19 to 24 in Almaty. The period of the examination takes 30 days. However, it was prolonged because the hospital was missing some of the documents. Chelakh’s family, his grandfather Vladimir Chelakh and mother Svetlana Vaschenko, came to Almaty hoping for the second meeting with Vladislav. Vladislav Chelakh in being charged with the murder because on May 30 a border patrol unit at the Sary Bokter frontier post discovered Arkankergen border post at Kazakhstan-Chinese border burnt down and 14 out of its 15 frontier border guards dead. A nearby park ranger was also found dead shortly after. The 15th guard, 19-year-old Vladislav Chelakh, was found alive some time late. Later he confessed of killing 14 of his fellow servicemen and the ranger, blaming internal conflicts and mental breakdown for the tragedy.