The Committee against Torture has sent an address to the Russian Investigation Committee asking it to deal with the heads of the Nizhny Novgorod investigation authorities who systematically violate the law

   On 8 April 2010 the Interregional Committee against Torture sent a complaint about the crime committed by Mr. Kokin, deputy head of the Dzerzhinsk investigation authorities, who had refused to provide the case file materials under the case of police abuse victim Sergey Lyapin, to Mr. Stravinskas, head of the Nizhny Novgorod Investigation Administration.

Lawyers of the Interregional Committee against Torture have learnt that the IA of the IC under the RF Prosecutor’s Office for Nizhny Novgorod region did not conduct a preliminary check under that application. Moreover, the complaint was neither submitted to the investigator, i.e. authorized official in charge of such activities. Instead of that, in breach of the law the complaint was sent to the department responsible for procedural supervision of investigations. It is evident that from the very beginning the authorities did not intend to conduct a proper check.  Such behaviour of the local investigation heads shows that they are not willing to hold their subordinates responsible under law. We have complained about unlawful inaction of the Nizhny Novgorod Investigation Administration staff to the Sovietsky district court, today a corresponding complaint has been sent to Mr. Bastrykin, head of the Investigation Committee under the RF Prosecutor’s Office.