BOSTON BOMBINGS/RUSSIA-RELATIVES Relatives of convicted Boston bomber believe he is innocent

Record ID: 159565

  • Title: BOSTON BOMBINGS/RUSSIA-RELATIVES Relatives of convicted Boston bomber believe he is innocent
  • Date: 14th April 2015
  • Summary: GROZNY, CHECHNYA, RUSSIA (APRIL 14, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GROZNY CENTRAL MOSQUE CARS DRIVING IN STREET CLOCK ON BUILDING WOMEN WALKING IN STREET HOUSES GROZNY, CHECHNYA, RUSSIA (APRIL 13, 2015) (REUTERS ) AUNT OF BOSTON BOMBING CONVICT, DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV, MARET TSARNAEVA (LEFT) AND HIS RELATIVE ROZA TSARNAEVA (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RELATIVE OF BOSTON BOMBING CONVICT, ROZA TSARNAEVA, SAYING: "As they are about to deliver such a horrible verdict, we will appeal the decision by these judges in all the highest authorities. All of this is unfair and wrong. The boys had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. And we know that for sure." CLOCK ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RELATIVE OF BOSTON BOMBING CONVICT, ROZA TSARNAEVA, SAYING: "We are all baffled, there is pain in our souls because we can not appeal to anyone, can not say a single word, can not ask for help from anyone. We are left alone, we are at the edge of life, all of us. Because to come through all of this horror over a year... God forbid for anybody to go through this. It is so hard, so scary and so difficult for all of us. Because it is all lies, it is hard to cope with." MARET TSARNAEVA POINTING AT COMPUTER AS SHE IS SPEAKING TSARNAEVA'S EYES (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AUNT OF BOSTON BOMBING CONVICT, MARET TSARNAEVA, SAYING: "The mother says she is in touch with Dzhokhar and his sisters. That is all. She has a monopoly in her hands. We do not know what is going on. We are not in touch with Dzhokhar's sisters and we are of course cut off from any communication with Dzhokhar, from day one." TSARNAEVA'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AUNT OF BOSTON BOMBING CONVICT, MARET TSARNAEVA, SAYING: "We will continue (to fight for Dzhokhar), we will appeal to higher authorities. If you ask me, I would want to intervene right now, but I can not ask people (lawyers) to work when I can not pay any money to them." ROZA ON PORCH, MARET ENTERING HOUSE, ROZA CLOSING DOOR HOUSE OF TSARNAEV FAMILY
  • Embargoed: 29th April 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABUFPLYUT9DPY00IC8ZEOLSWMR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Relatives of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was found guilty earlier this month of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured 264 others, say they believe the 21-year-old ethnic Chechen to be innocent.
    A jury in the U.S. will now decide whether to sentence Tsarnaev to death.
    But nearly a two years to the day since the deadly bombing, relatives of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his killed 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, maintain their innocence.
    "As they are about to deliver such a horrible verdict, we will appeal the decision by these judges in all the highest authorities. All of this is unfair and wrong. The boys had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. And we know that for sure," Roza Tsarnaeva, a cousin of Tsarnaev's father told Reuters on Monday (April 13).
    The elderly woman who lives in Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechnya republic, says the case against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is false, calling it "all lies".
    "We are all baffled, there is pain in our souls because we can not appeal to anyone, can not say a single word, can not ask for help from anyone. We are left alone, we are at the edge of life, all of us. Because to come through all of this horror over a year... God forbid for anybody to go through this. It is so hard, so scary and so difficult for all of us. Because it is all lies, it is hard to cope with," she added.
    Dzhokar Tsarnaev, is the surviving member of brothers who planted the homemade pressure-cooker bombs that tore through the crowd at the famed race's finish line in one of the most shocking attacks on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
    He left a note behind describing the attack as an act of retribution for U.S. military campaigns in Muslim-dominated countries.
    His lawyers opened Tsarnaev's federal trial in Boston in March by bluntly admitting "it was him" who planted one of the bombs on April 15, 2013 and three days later shot dead a police officer, kicking off a day of chaos in Boston.
    Tsarnaev's aunt Maret Tsarnaeva, sister to Dzhokhar's father, says she is unhappy with her nephew's lawyer, adding she believed in his innocence.
    Maret Tsarnaeva told Reuters she has had no contact with him since Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody.
    "The mother says she is in touch with Dzhokhar and his sisters. That is all. She has a monopoly in her hands. We do not know what is going on. We are not in touch with Dzhokhar's sisters and we are of course cut off from any communication with Dzhokhar, from day one."
    Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found him guilty, by a jury, of all 30 criminal counts he faced.
    But his aunt says if she had the means to travel to the U.S. and hire a lawyer herself she would appeal for him.
    "We will continue (to fight for Dzhokhar), we will appeal to higher authorities. If you ask me, I would want to intervene right now, but I can not ask people (lawyers) to work when I can not pay any money to them."
    Tamerlan Tsarnaev died during the brothers' chaotic final day of freedom. Three days after the bombing, the pair shot dead a police officer and carjacked a Chinese businessman as they attempted to flee the city.
    The carjacking victim escaped and alerted police to their plans, setting the stage for a gunfight between the Tsarnaevs and law enforcement that ended when Dzhokhar roared off in the stolen SUV, running over his brother.
    On April 21 a new phase of the trial will begin as federal prosecutors begin to mount their case for putting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for the Boston Marathon bombing.
    The death penalty is controversial in Massachusetts, where it is illegal under state law but allowed in federal cases. The state has not seen an execution since 1947.
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