On March 15, 2011 the Leninsky district court of Orenburg sustained the claim of

Orenburg resident Maksim Nimatov for compensation of moral damage inflicted by 1 day of unlawful detention in the Dzerzhinsky District Department of Internal Affairs of Orenburg. The court awarded the claimant 5 000 rubles to be paid by the RF Finance Ministry on behalf of the Russian Treasury.  

The judge established that on August 25, 2008 Nimatov was de facto detained as suspect. By preparing an unlawful administrative offense report the police prolonged his detention till the morning.   

Although there was evidence of abuse of office committed by officers of the Dzerzhinsky District Department of Internal Affairs, representatives of the respondent (RF Finance Ministry) and third parties supporting the respondent (Orenburg Regional Directorate of the Interior, Orenburg Directorate of the Interior, Orenburg Regional Finance Ministry) did not detect any violation and were urging the court to dismiss the claim.   

Interestingly, the same court had priced moral sufferings of Nimatov’s friends who had also lodged suits regarding the same episode of unlawful detention at 500 rubles. A ten-fold increase in the compensation amount is rather inspiriting.

However, it must be mentioned that the judgment has not yet entered into force, and if the respondent appeals against it, the sum can be decreased.