On August 4, 2010 the Bashkirian representation of INGO “Committee Against Torture” received an application from A.V. Sadretdinov, O.R. Bayrashev and S.A. Andreyev living in the city of Oktyabrsky, Bashkiria, claiming that they had been abused by officers of the Bashkirian Directorate of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service. Lawyers of the Bashkirian representation began a public investigation. Preliminary estimates suggest violation of Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (prohibition of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment) by the drug police. According to Artur Sadretdinov, officer of the RF Ministry of Internal Affairs, on July 21, 2010 he was detained by the drug police. He did not resist the detention, however one of the Federal Drug Control Service officers kicked him in the face (this fact is confirmed by the video of the arrest disseminated by the press-service of the Federal Drug Control Service Directorate for Bashkiria). Mr. Sadretdinov was taken to the Oktyabrsky Department of the Federal Drug Control Service Directorate for Bashkiria and beaten there, the beatings lasted several hours. The police wanted him to confess to drug marketing. Mr. Sadretdinov was set free the following day, on July 23, 2010, after 24 hours of detention. The same day he was admitted to Hospital no. 1 and diagnosed with a craniocerebral injury, brain concussion, contusion of soft tissues of the face with bruises, closed neck bone fracture, nose bone fracture, traumatic eardrum rupture, contusion of the left knee joint. 

            Police abuse victims have reported about the crime to the Oktyabrsky Interdistrict Investigation Department of the Investigation Administration of the Investigation Committee under the RF Prosecutor’s Office for Bashkiria. The allegations are being checked.

The Bashkirian representation of the Interregional Committee Against Torture will do its utmost to ensure effective investigation of the case and prosecution of those in charge of tortures.

We would like to remind you also that this is not the first instance of abuse of office committed by the drug police in Oktyabrsky. In September 2008 in the same city officers of the Special Police Forces of the FDCSD for Bashkiria killed famous Bashkirian boxer Anton Saveykin, having mistaken him for a drug dealer. The authorities instituted criminal proceedings upon the fact of Saveykin’s murder, but in 8 months the investigation was terminated. The CAT appealed against the decision to terminate the proceedings to the Leninsky district court of Ufa which sustained the appeal and found the decision unmotivated.   

Press-service

Of the Interregional Committee Against Torture