The Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings in relation to the death of detained Vladimir Myasnikov in January of this year. Vladimir died in City Hospital #39 where he was taken to from pre-trial detention center № 1 in critical condition with a diagnosis «assumption of the closed craniocerebral injury». After the check the investigator established that there are some reasons to believe that the death was caused by violence, and in connection with that he initiated criminal proceedings against unidentified persons under part 4 Article 111 of the Russian Criminal Code («willful grave health damage which caused death by negligence»).
(Photo: Lawyer of the Committee for Prevention of Torture Sergey Shounin and Igor Myasnikov, brother of the deceased)
On 25 January 2016 Vladimir Myasnikov’s brother Igor Myasnikov and girlfriend Marina Demchenko applied to the Committee for Prevention of Torture for legal assistance. According to them, on 9 September of last year Vladimir was taken to detention facility № 1 of Nizhny Novgorod on charges of the crime under item «b» part 4 Article 132 of the Criminal Code of the RF («sexual battery against a person under 14 years of age»). On 17 January 2016 Marina received a telegram which reported that her boyfriend died the day before in the city hospital № 39 without regaining consciousness.
In the course of the public investigation human rights defenders questioned witnesses, gathered other materials on this case, after that they submitted a crime report to the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Nizhny Novgorod region.
On 20 February 2016 the criminal case was opened. Among other things the copy of the ruling stated: «on 14.09.2015 due to complaints of mood swings V.N.Myasnikov was taken to psychiatric department of hospital № 3 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, attached to pre-trial detention center № 1. On 22.12.2015 due to his psychic condition and the fact that V.N.Myasnikov’s behavior became a threat to himself and those around him, he was subjected to measure of physical restraint in the form of fixation with soft ropes. On 10.01.2016 the duty doctor pointed out the aggravating health condition, assumption of closed craniocerebral injury. On 11.01.2016 V.N.Myasnikov was hospitalized to city hospital № 39 with a diagnosis: assumption of closed craniocerebral injury, brain contusion. Despite the treatment, on 16.01.2016 V.N.Myasnikov died in city hospital № 39.
According to the medical forensic examination report № 389 dated 17.02.2016 V.N.Myasnikov died due to cerebral edema and brain swelling, developed as a result of damage constituting the closed craniocerebral injury caused by impact of blunt objects and inflicted grave bodily harm… There is direct cause-and-effect relationship between the closed craniocerebral injury and the death of V.N.Myasnikov».
Lawyer of the Committee for Prevention of Torture Sergey Shounin: «We are satisfied that the criminal case is opened and Igor Myasnikov, the brother of the deceased, is declared a victim, and I am involved in this case as his representative. I have already submitted motions to conduct investigative actions, in particular, against the correction officers of the pre-trial detention center. We think that these actions amount to negligence, at least. We also declared the necessity to exhume the corpse since we think that the corpse was not comprehensively examined and not all the bodily injuries that had been previously found were registered. We intend to keep taking active part in investigative activities which will be performed in the course of the investigation of this criminal case, as well as render legal assistance to the relatives of the deceased».