Since the moment of its establishment, the main line of activity of the Crew Against Torture (CAT) involves:

— public investigation of complaints against torture, inhumane or degrading treatment;

— representing the applicant’s interests in the investigative bodies and the court;

— rendering assistance in obtaining compensation, as well as, if necessary, in conducting medical rehabilitation activities.

The procedure and methods of public investigation based on complaints against tortures and brutal treatment are the Crew Against Torture’s own unique development. In the framework of the public investigation, the lawyers of the CAT conduct independent investigation, and its results are used as admissible evidence in the framework of the official investigation, and then — during the court hearings. Professional legal approach to resolving problems connected with protection of rights and legal interests of citizens is the trademark of the organization. This approach, successfully implemented during the whole period of the CAT existence, has become the recipe for success of the organization.

Since start of work, the CAT specialists checked over 3178 complaints related to human rights violations, performed hundreds of investigations, successfully achieved that the state and its representatives paid over 297 million rubles as compensation to citizens who suffered from illegal activities of law-enforcement officers. In addition, as a result of the efforts of the organization’s lawyers, 159 representatives of law-enforcement bodies were convicted for torture cases which reached the court and the verdict by June 2022.