Birsky Interdistrict Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case based on the fact of applying violence against Aleksey Galiullin from Bashkiria at the local police department. As we have previously reported, he accuses the Federal National Guard (Rosgvardiuya) officers of numerous bodily injuries which they inflicted to him for his refusal to pass the fingerprinting procedure.
Aleksey Galiullin applied to the Committee for the Prevention of Torture for legal assistance on 29 March of this year. In his explanation to the human rights defenders he reported that on 22 February his friends and he were having a rest in the sauna in the city of Birsk. When their session was over they had a conflict with the employees of the sauna because of the mess that the guests had left. A district police officer and representatives of Federal National Guard Troops Service arrived to resolve the conflict. But the conflict was not resolved. On the contrary, the law enforcement representatives that had arrived turned out to be the third participant of this conflict. In the end, it was decided to take Aleksey to the police department of Birsk district. According to Galiullin, while they were taking him to the service car one of the representatives of Federal National Guard Troops Service pushed him on his back so that Aleksey fell and hit his head against the ice.
– I did not provide any personal data in the police department referring to Article 51 of the Constitution and I also refused to give my fingerprints, – said Aleksey. – I said that I had the right to an attorney, but they did not let me call for a lawyer.
According to Galiullin, the law enforcement representatives tried to make him give his fingerprints using force, as a result he was pushed to the floor, his arms were put behind his back and he was handcuffed.
– One of the officers pressed my neck with his knee, and I felt severe pain and started to groan unnaturally because I could not cry, – remembered Aleksey.
According to Aleksey, the noise they were making attracted another police officer who came from another room; he demanded to stop the violence against Aleksey and also requested to take off the handcuffs. After that Aleksey was allowed to write a report to the head of this police department about the events that had taken place.
Some time later Galiullin felt severe pain and dizziness, so the ambulance was called for him and took him to the central city hospital of Birsk.
In the hospital Aleksey was diagnosed with: “Concomitant injury. Closed craniocerebral injury. Brain concussion. Brain contusion (light form). Rotatory subluxation of the second neck vertebra. Ring shoulder joint injury. Ligaments train, numerous hematomas of the right wrist joint”.
Aleksey spent in hospital twenty three days; currently he is at home receiving treatment and wearing a neck brace. The forensic medical examination prescribed by the investigator determined that Aleksey’s injuries “are considered to be injuries that inflicted moderate damage to the person’s health”.
Galiullin’s report addressed to the head of the police department was redirected based on the consequences to Birsk interdistrict investigation department of the RF Investigation Office of Investigation Committee for the Republic of Bashkortostan. On 25 May investigator from this department Bulat Galiev issued an order to refuse to open a criminal case due to the absence of criminal elements in the actions of the law enforcement representatives. He considered that they had rightfully used physical force.
Aleksey Galiullin’s lawyer Pavel Kiselev succeeded in quashing this refusal, after that the additional check was assigned, which resulted in initiating criminal proceedings.
Today human rights defenders received a copy of a resolution on initiating criminal proceedings based on the crime under item “a” part 3 Article 286 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code (“Abuse of office using violence”).
“We will continue to represent the interests of Aleksey Galiullin in the framework of the initiated criminal case, – lawyer of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture Evgeny Litvinov reports.– Now we are going to request that the investigation performs all the necessary investigative activities, included the situational expert examination, in order to establish the mechanism of bodily injuries of Aleksey”.