ASTANA, December 27 - RAPSI. An attorney for the 19-year-old Kazakh border guard who was found guilty of murdering 15 people has appealed against his sentence.

Vladislav Chelakh was found guilty of committing a mass murder near the Kazakh-Chinese border and sentenced to life imprisonment on December 11. The court has also partially upheld the civil lawsuits filed by the victims to recover over $218,000 in material and moral damages from the convict.

Chelakh has been accused of murder, theft, illegally obtaining and distributing of state secrets; embezzlement or extortion of weapons, ammo, explosive devices; illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transfer or carrying of weapons and explosive devices; intentional destruction or damaging of military equipment; desertion, violation of the housing's inviolability.

The massacre at the Arkankergen border post took place in May. The post went off the air, and a border guard unit was soon sent to the location from another post. The latter found that the barrack had been burned down and 14 dead people were inside. The body of a hunter was found at a house nearby.

Private Chelakh, the sole survivor, was detained several days later.

The border guard initially confessed to murdering his colleagues and the huntsman, but later denied his testimony, claiming that he had testified under pressure.