Yesterday, on the 25^th of October, Lazarevskoe district court continued hearing the criminal case against eight Sochi Special Police Forces officers who are accused of excess of powers during the raid on children’s camp “Druzhba” in Makopse village.

Photo: complainant Serdyuk, security guard of children’s camp “Druzhba”, near camp gates. This person was the first to take the blow.

During the court hearing witnesses and victims were questioned. Complainant Lyzhov said that on the 18^th of July 2006, around midnight, he was sitting in café Oasis with his friends Sorgosh, Nedbaev, Aksyonov and Sarkisyan. At that time there were a lot of other customers. According to Lyzhov’s words, around 30 people in camouflage with SPF signs stormed into the café and started to beat male customers. Besides, as Lyzhov says, they used electric shockers. Then policemen put all men on the floor face down and after that took them all one by one to the beach. After that one of the police officers started walking on the backs of people lying on the pebbles, thus he counted them. The SPF officers were not willing to explain what was happening. After that they asked everyone who had participated in a fight with their colleagues. Then, Lyzhov states, he was taken to a police car and placed inside. Later two more people were made to join him. Then they left the territory of the camp. Lyzhov claims the police hit him using hands, legs and special tools. Later the detainees were taken to the regional police department. Soon the detainees’ parents came their and they were set free.

Mr. Lyzhov also claims that the police hit him with an electric shocker in the loins as well. He added that he saw two policemen without masks, those were defendants Petrenko and Ozhgikhin, and he also saw a group of 5 policemen beat complainant Serdyuk.

Yulia Petrovna Lyzhova, mother of Aleandr Lyzhov, who was questioned during the hearing, claimed that defendant Pimenov grabbed her by the hand and cursed at her just because she tried to find out why her son was detained. Besides, at the police station she heard that the detained were told to “sign everything otherwise you’d be killed or disabled”.

Underage complainant Gevorg Melkonyan evidenced that at night on the 18^th of July he was in the café with his nephew when SPF officers with electric shockers, bamboo sticks and clubs rushed in and started beating everyone demanding that all customers should lie down. Them everyone was placed face down on the beach. According to Melkonyan, the policemen wanted to find out who had had a fight with their colleagues.

Mr Melkonyan stated that the police hit not only grown-up people, but also his 13-year old nephew. The battery lasted about 20 minutes. Then everyone was put into the bus and taken to Lazarevskoe district police station, the battery continued in the bus. At the police station Gevorg Melkonyan became unconscious and was taken to hospital.

Photo: Gevorg Melkonyan. He was taken to hospital unconscious after the battery.

Underage victim Eduard Adamyan claimed that he was also struck with an electric shocker and hit on the face, the police made him walk with bent legs. Besides, he saw how defendant Pimenov battered Gevorg Melkonyan.

Photo: Eduard Adamyan who came to the café to have fun and was treated to an electric shocker.

All the victims claim that the police never asked anyone to show their passports or other documents. However, the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Krasnodarskiy Kray has been claiming throughout the whole year of investigation that SPF officers’ actions were provoked by inadequate reaction of Oasis customers to a passport check…

By know the court has questioned 24 victims, the rest will be interrogated later in course of trial.

We would like to remind you that policemen are accused of assaulting people on vacation in children’s camp “Druzhba”. As a result of SPF officers’ actions a lot of people were injured, including several minors. Among the victims there are 29 people. The policemen face the charge under article 286 of the RF CC (excess of powers with violent treatment and special tools application).The public investigation of the events in Druzhba was carried out  by the Committee against Torture and the “Public Verdict” Foundation, at present lawyer Nikoly Shakhovalov represents the victims’ interests in court.