The Investigation Administration of the Investigation Committee under the RF Prosecutor’s Office for Nizhny Novgorod region has completed the preliminary investigation and brought in an indictment under the case of three Arzamas policemen – Bukhanov, Shuyagin and Anoshin – who had allegedly tortured Natalia Stryomina at night on 25-26 April 2009 in the Arzamas medical sobering-up station. The woman who is the CAT’s applicant claims that they used a rack and one of the officers raped her.
The investigation conducted by lawyers of the ICAT showed that Natalia Stryomina could really be abused by the police.
Specialists of the Committee Against Torture first ensured instigation of criminal proceedings, and then insisted on the transfer of the case from the local investigation authorities to the regional ones, because the former basically refused to investigate into the allegations.
The investigation authorities accuse officer of the Arzamas sobering-up station Sergey Anoshin and inspector on duty of the Arzamas sobering-up station Alexander Shuyagin of crimes under cl. «а» p. 3 art. 286 of the RF Criminal Code (abuse of office with violent treatment or the threat of violent treatment), sobering up station officer Sergey Bukhanov is charged under cl. «а» p. 3 art. 286 (abuse of office with violent treatment or the threat of violent treatment), cl. «b» p. 2 art. 131 of the RF Criminal Code (rape, or sexual intercourse with the threat of violence in respect of the victim combined with the threat of infliction of grave damage to health).
   It should be mentioned that in order to prove that her allegations are true Natalia Stryomina voluntarily underwent a polygraph testing. The specialist in charge of the testing concluded in his report that “there were no indications that Natalia Stryomina was trying to misinform the Arzamas Interdistrict Investigation Department”.
   The preliminary investigation under this case has been completed, in the nearest future it will go to court. Lawyers of the Committee Against Torture are going to represent Ms. Stryomina’s interests in court.