Lawyers from the multiregional NGO “Committee against Torture” finished the preliminary check upon the application of Kazan reporter Natalya Petrova.
In her application of October 24, 2007 she asked the Committee against Torture to investigate the fact of her battery by police officer of the Criminal investigation department of Moskovsky district police office of Kazan.
Lawyers from the Committee against Torture talked to Petrova’s relatives and eye-witnesses of the events. They also studied medical and case documents. The analysis of data collected shows that on September 6, 2007 unknown police officers came to Petrova’s flat and tried to detain Natalya Vladimirovna Petrova and bring her to court. In course of the detention they inflicted physical injuries upon Petrova and her elderly mother Nina Ivanovna. Petrova’s children, 9-year old twins Nelly and Mary, were also hurt during the detention. N.V.Petrova was taken to Moskovsky district police department of Kazsan where, she claims, she was battered and humiliated by the police.
The check also found out that Natalya Petrova had been engaged into public and political activity in the Republic of Tatarstanand in the North Caucasus, she had been a candidate for deputy in the State Council of the Republic of
Tatarstan and Russian State Duma. Some mass media connect the reporter’s battery to her activity, however, the check did not determine any objective data that would prove that police abuse on the 6th of September was somehow linked to her political and public activity.
At the moment when the check was conducted the lawyers failed to obtain any credible information that would allow to estimate lawfulness of police actions from the legal point of view and determine, whether Petrova’s detention and forced bringing to court was justified.
The Committee against Torture supposes that Petrova’s detention that was witness by her small children negatively influenced their health and emotional state.
In order to obtain objective data that would prove the fact of human rights violation in respect of the Petrovs and define the degree of seriousness of health damage, the Committee against Torture is planning to involve lawyers and medical experts into the investigation.