Case of Dagestani law enforcers on abductions and torture sent for reconsideration

After verdict overturning, the district court of Dagestan has the case of five policemen accused of kidnapping and torturing a female detainee returned.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Rasul Saduev, the head of the criminal investigating division for the Khasavyurt District of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), was detained in September 2016 along with Gimbat Lakhiyalov, his colleague from the Dagestani MIA branch, on suspicion of extortion. The Prosecutor's Office (PO) then reported that Saduev was accused of kidnapping, illegal trafficking in weapons and drugs; he refused to plead guilty.

The criminal case of law enforcers, Gimbat Lakhiyalov, Rasul Saduev, Rashid Abdurashidov, Mugazhir Alibudlatov and Shamil Gaziev, was returned to the Karabudakhkent District Court. Earlier, they were sentenced to real prison terms, finding them guilty of using violence against a detainee, kidnapping, illegal trafficking in weapons and drugs, but the Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan has overturned the verdict, the "Kavkaz.Realii"* project has reported.

According to the verdict, the policemen, together with their accomplices, blocked the car in which a female resident of Dagestan was travelling and abducted her in order to force her to confess to committing a murder. The woman was roped up and tortured. During the search they found explosives and drugs.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.