On January 28, 2008 the Ioshkar-Ola city court of Mariy-El deliberated on the suit filed by Irina Vinogradova against the Finance Ministry of Mariy-El. Ms. Vinogradova demanded compensation of moral damages. The Court awarded her 40 000 rubles.

You may remember that in summer of 2007 Ms. Vinogradova was unlawfully detained and taken to the Kilemarskiy district police station in Mariy-El by district police officer of the above mentioned police station Mr.A.Sharafutdinov. Police officer Sharafutdinov battered the woman in his office.    Ms.Vinogradova applied to the Prosecutor’s office and to the local human rights organization “Man and Law”.  Lawyers of this organization together with their colleagues from the Multiregional Committee against Torture pressed for initiation of criminal proceedings against the police officer. On November 12, 2007 the Kilemarskiy district court of Mariy-El found Mr.Sharafutdinov guilty under cl. A, p 3 of art. 286 of the RF Criminal Code (excess of powers with violent treatment) sentenced him to 4 years of suspended sentence with suspension of execution for 4 years. This judgment has already entered into force.