The Investigative Committee opened a case based on the fact of abuse of office with the use of violence and weapons (items “a”, “b” of part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigative authorities, law-enforcement officers severely beat up local citizen Nikolay Bondarenko — after the apprehension, the medics registered him with ribs’ fractures.   

Nikolay Bondarenko, Andrey Popov and Sergey Duz’ applied to the Committee Against Torture in 2021. They told human rights defenders that on 10 March of the same year at about three o’clock Popov and Duz’ came to the Bondarenko’s farm in the Kalininskaya village, where they were apprehended and severely beaten up by law-enforcement officers. Then, the applicants were taken to the police department, where they were beaten up by the SOBR (special rapid reaction unit) officers who demanded that they confessed of the theft of cows and boilers.    

Later on, lawyers with the Committee Against Torture obtained a video record that showed the applicants being beaten up by law-enforcement officers.

In April of the same year, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against police officer Yevgeny Volkov and unidentified persons. According to the investigative authorities, they abused their authority during apprehension of Andrey Popov — he was declared a victim. Duz’ and Bondarenko were involved as witnesses. The investigation of this case is now drawing to its end.   

— It took the whole year for the Investigative Committee to make a decision on initiating a new criminal case. Such a delay may lead to essential evidence being lost. Despite that, we still hope that the investigative authorities establish who beat up Bondarenko and bring these people to responsibility, — lawyer with the Committee Against Torture Ilya Platonov comments. — As to the third victim, Sergey Duz’, we continue our public investigation, insisting on opening a criminal case.