Zakharia Zhafyarov from Nizhny Novgorod claims that he was beaten up by a police captain in presence of his employer at the construction site where he worked.

Mr. Zhafyarov has told the Interregional Committee against Torture that while he was handing over the installation and wiring work in December 2008 he was abused by an unknown man who later turned out to be police captain. Mr. Zhafyarov claims that the battery lasted more than 10 minutes and he had his knee cap broken as a result.  

Criminal proceedings were initiated under Zakharia Zhafyarov’s application upon the fact of intentional infliction of damage to health of medium severity. In 2008 representatives of the Investigation Department under the RF Prosecutor’s Office and of the Sormovsky district Department of Internal Affairs could not decide who was to investigate the case. Finally the investigation was conducted by police officers. Soon the investigators came to the conclusion that Zhafyarov got injured when falling on the concrete floor from the altitude of his height, i.e. his injuries were self-inflicted.  

Notwithstanding grave procedural violations committed by the police investigators when working with the case, the Sormovsky district prosecutor’s office of Nizhny Novgorod found the decision to terminate the proceedings lawful and motivated.  

At present the Committee against Torture continues pressing for resumption of the criminal case and its submission to the investigation authorities under the prosecutor’s office for a complete and objective investigation.