The Ministry of Finance of Russia paid 510 thousand rubles to relatives of Vasiliy Lyamov who died in a police department in 2005. Last year in August 170 thousand rubles were paid to Lyubov Maslova in compensation for moral damage inflicted by her brother’s death.
(Photo: Vasiliy Lyamov)
The situation is as follows. On 19 December 2005 a 23-year-old man from Aksakovo town (Orenburg region) Vasiliy Lyamov was detained and beaten up by the district police officer Valeriy Prytkov. Then the man was brought to Buguruslan District Department of the Interior (ROVD). There Mr Lyamov was lying on the floor of the lobby for several hours, right before the eyes of a patrol-guard officer and the police station duty officer. The ambulance, that was called too late, had nothing left to do but to pronounce death.
Experts with Orenburg regional Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination reported the following injuries to Mr Lyamov’s body: bruises and abrasion on the face and soft tissues of the head, brain hemorrhage, ruptures in cervical spine, and many other injuries. Death caused by fractured neck vertebra. The injury was inflicted when the victim’s head was pulled back as far as it could go, and then violently turned to the right.
Nevertheless, a domestic court after a five-year trial found that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence showing that it was officer Prytkov who had inflicted the deadly injury. In 2011 he was found guilty of exceeding official powers with the use of violence and special devices which led to grave consequences. He was sentenced to 3 years in general regime (minimum security) penal colony.
The outrageous fact is that during the five years, from the moment of being charged with a criminal offense, Mr Prytkov was not debarred from police service. Moreover, he got promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and was granted preferential pension.
On the grounds that no police officers made any efforts to rescue the dying man, lawyers with the Committee Against Torture filed a claim against the State on the behalf of Mr Vasiliy Lyamov’s relatives demanding compensation for moral damage. Almost eight years after he died in the police department, his relatives were paid a total of 680 thousand rubles in compensation. Those responsible have never been identified.
The Head of the Orenburg regional branch of the INGO «Committee Against Torture» Sergey Babinets concludes: «Now the criminal case concerning Vasiliy Lyamov’s death has been singled out into separate proceedings. Nevertheless, the investigation is merely marking time pretending to be looking for the murderer. As for us, we continue to provide legal assistance in this case on the national and international levels. In 2012 we lodged the relevant application with the European Court of Human Rights».