Lawyers of the Committee against Torture have not yet completed the case about crimes of Sochi Special Police Forces, and now complaints about SPF are coming from another Russian region. This time it is the SPF of the Mariy El Ministry of the Interior that has put itself on record.

   The victim of police abuse is Rodion Nigmatullin from Yoshkar-Ola. According to the applicant, at night on 4-5 July 2009 he was in a café he owned in the village of Medvedevo where he and his friends celebrated his daughter’s birth. Suddenly SPF officers wearing uniform and masks stormed into the café. Mr. Nigmatullin wondered what the reason for their visit was. Rodion claims that the police immediately twisted his arms behind his back and took him outside where a Kamaz-type police car was waiting. When Rodion was taken into the car, one of the officers started battering him without giving any explanations. Some time later Mr. Nigmatullin was taken to the local Department of Internal Affairs. Approximately in an hour he was released without any charges brought against him or any detention protocols prepared.  The same day Mr. Nigmatullin applied to hospital where he received treatment.

   In the context of public investigation lawyers of the Committee have already identified and questioned several witnesses and obtained Mr. Nigmatullin’s medical documents proving his injuries.

   Today the material gathered will be sent to the Prosecutor’s Office investigation bodies for initiation of criminal proceedings.