Today Dzerzhinsk city court issued a verdict for the case of two policemen from the patrol and point duty service of Dzerzhinsk who battered famous painter Vladimir Polyashov on the threshold of his house on November 26, 2006.
The painter’s wife Elena Polyashova applied to the Committee against Torture claiming that her husband had been beaten by the police. The Committee investigated the event and did its utmost to make the Dzerzhinsk Prosecutor’s office initiate a criminal case.
In particular, lawyers of the organization initiated a functional check of the regional prosecutor’s office in respect of Dzerzhinsk deputy prosecutor A.V.Sharov who had refused to register Elena Polyashova’s claim and thus violated order 39 of 29.12.2005 of the General prosecutor’s office “On common crime history”. Due to the human rights defenders’ efforts the prosecutor’s office started a criminal case on December 4, 2006 upon alleged violation of cl. “a”, part 3 of article 286 of the RF CC “Excess of powers with violent treatment”. When all the examinations and the preliminary investigation were finished, the prosecution added violation of cl. “a”, part 3 of article 111 of the RF CC “Intentional infliction of gross injuries by a group of people” and cl. “a,b,c” of part 3 of article 286 of the RF CC “Excess of powers with violent treatment, weapon use and grave consequences”. When the indictment was brought in the case was submitted by the prosecutor’s office of Dzerzhinsk to court.
Photo: indictees Dmitriy Trofimov and Mikhail Tufanin in the courtroom.
The accused policemen Trofimov and Tufanin plead guilty and paid Polyashov a compensation in the amount of 300 000 rubles. During the debates on September 14, 2007 the state prosecutor asked the court to give Trofimov 6 years of suspended sentence and Tufanin 5 years 9 months of suspended sentence.
Photo: session of the Dzerzhinsk city court
Today the court found Mikhail Tufanin guilty on the charge and sentenced him to 5.5 years in a maximum security penal colony, Dmitry Trofimov was also found guilty and sentenced to 6 years in a maximum security penal colony.