Photo: Businessman Vasily Susyak from Nizhny Novgorod claims that the police tortured him for three and a half hours.

Does the police execute “orders” or simply “earn a bit on the side” by beating up businessmen?

   Nizhny Novgorod businessman Vasily Susyak who trades in flowers applied to the Committee against Torture claiming that he had been tortured in the Prioksky district medical detoxification centre in Nizhny Novgorod.  Two days ago the Committee against Torture reported on brutal tortures that another businessman, Dmitry Korshunov, had beenallegedlysubjected to by the Kanavinsky district police.

Vasily Susyak claimed that at the beginning of February 2009 he had been beaten up by officers of the Prioksky district Department of the Interior who had forced Vasily to go to the detoxification centre because he had appeared drunk to them. Mr. Susyak claims that the police withdrew 38 000 roubles from him– the earnings of one sales outlet belonging to the businessman.

The medical detoxification centre staff spoke to Vasily in obscene language, handcuffed him and locked him up in a room. Some time later four policemen entered the room and started beating and kicking Mr. Susyak. According to Vasily, both the MDC staff and the patrol policemen who had taken him there took part in the battery. The battery started at around 1 a.m. and finished at half past 3 approximately. Later the police took him to the police station and placed in a cell. At about 8 a.m. Mr. Susyak was questioned by an investigator and allowed to go home. However, Mr. Susyak claims that he was returned less that half of the sum that had been withdrawn from him – 15 000 roubles. Mr. Susyak filed a torture application at the police station. The application was admitted, but for some reason Vasily got an appointment card for a forensic medical examination only in the evening.

Checks under the businessman’s application were terminated many times, the man obtained several refusals to open criminal proceedings that were later cancelled.

At present the Prioksky district Investigation Department is checking Mr. Susyak’s application, and the Committee against Torture is conducting a public investigation.