Nizhny Novgorod Office of the INGO «Committee Against Torture» has received an application from a former deputy head of operational administration department of Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Directorate (GU FSIN) for Nizhny Novgorod region, Sergey Belyakov. He accuses Federal Security Service agents of unlawful acts during his detention on 20 June 2013.

According to Mr Belyakov, that day he was walking out of his apartment building entrance when several man in sport suits ran over and started beating him with their hands and legs. Nikolay lost his balance, and the men handcuffed him. The applicant maintains that he did not offer any resistance, still one of the men hit him several times more, and another one was constantly, during the whole period of the detention and questioning in the street, pressing against Nikolay’s carotid artery, inflicting him physical pain. Later the men identified themselves as Federal Security Service agents and informed Mr Belyakov that he had been detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe.

Human rights defenders have obtained a video record of the detention.

Now Nikolay Belyakov is under arrest in investigative isolator №1 in Nizhny Novgorod. He has been officially charged with large-scale corruption.

Evgeniy Chilikov, a lawyer with the Committee Against Torture, comments on the situation: «We have initiated a public investigation into Nikolay Belyakov’s allegations. In the near future we will report the crime to the Investigative Committee and lodge a request with the Federal Security Service to carry out an internal control inquiry concerning the incident. It is early to draw final conclusions now. However, as we see the situation, the Federal Security Service agents used physical violence which was ungrounded».