The Leninsky Court of Orenburg scheduled the date of the first hearing in the case of the three criminal investigations officers who are charged with the batteries of the apprehended aimed at obtaining confessions in 2010. It will take place on 28 December.

Acting police officer Ivan Kudinov, as well as former police officers Denis Fedorov and Sergey Kornilov are charged with the fact that on 28 May 2010 they beat up the apprehended Yury Zontov, Svetlana Gumerova and Larisa Pikalova. Medics registered Zontov with hematoma of the ribcage; Gumerova – with bruises, as well as with a hairless section of the skin on her head; Pikalova – with extravasations, bruises, closed craniocerebral injury and a brain concussion.

Having yielded to torture, the apprehended incriminated themselves and confessed of a series of thefts. Later on, their criminal prosecution was dismissed due to their non-involvement in the crimes.

The victims applied to the Investigative Committee with a torture complaint, but in November 2010, the investigators issued a dismissal of a claim to open a criminal case. According to the victims, at that time they were so scared that they did not believe that justice may be restored, that is why they did not have courage to appeal against the dismissal for a long time. Zontov applied to the Committee only nine years later.

— We learned about the battery of Yury Zontov and his relatives when we were dealing with another case about his police battery, — lawyer with the Committee Against Torture Timur Rakhmatulin recalls. — Zontov said that both times he was beaten by the same police officers.

Lawyers with the Committee Against Torture appealed against the dismissal at the Prosecutor’s Office and the check in the case was resumed. After that Pikalova and Gumerova applied to the Committee. The investigators issued three more dismissals, but in July of last year a criminal case on abuse of office using violence and special equipment was opened. In addition, lawyers with the Committee Against Torture helped Zontov, Pikalova and Gumerova adjudge 350 thousand rubles of compensation for illegal criminal prosecution.

Another defendant was former police officer Eduard Makayev, but the court stopped his prosecution due to expiry of the period of limitations. The court explained Kudinov, Fedorov and Kornilov that they, too, can ask to dismiss their cases on the same grounds, but they refused, because they hope to prove their innocence.

Lawyer with the Committee Timur Rakhmatulin emphasizes that the two defendants were already brought to criminal responsibility for the same crimes: Kornilov was put to trial for extortion and abuse of office, and Makayev – for abuse of office and inflicting death by negligence. In addition, the lawyer points out that Kudinov continues his police service.

— The victims are committed that the court takes place and that the state declares the persons who were torturing them, criminals, even though after some years, — Rakhmatulin concluded.