ICRF's refusal to investigate torture of Gelendzhik resident provokes questions from human rights defenders

An investigator refused to institute a case on torture by law enforcers of Maxim Timoshenko, a resident of Gelendzhik, the Committee Against Torture (CaT) reported on September 11. The human rights defenders decided to seek additional verification of the Maxim Timoshenko's complaint.

On September 11, the human rights defenders got from the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) a copy of the decision with the refusal to institute criminal proceedings on the complaint of torture filed by Maxim Timoshenko, the CaT reports on its website.

Maxim Timoshenko, who works as a migration registration specialist for foreign citizens, has told lawyers of the Committee Against Torture that the police demanded from him to confess to organizing illegal migration and to testify against the general director of the company where he worked.

According to Maxim Timoshenko, the policemen beat him and struck him ten times with a shocker baton. The man complained that they put a plastic bag on his head and hit him on a table with his head.

On August 14, a forensic medical examination of the injured resident of Gelendzhik was carried out. Bodily injuries were registered on the Maxim Timoshenko's body.

Lawyers of the Committee Against Torture see shortcomings in the investigator's actions, and they will appeal against the ICRF's decision to refuse to institute criminal proceedings.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 12, 2019 at 08:22 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.