The Investigative Committee started the check of the application of Konstantin Bukovetsky, who was beaten up by the police officers during one of the Moscow January rally of 2021. In particular, the investigator questioned Bukovetsky and assigned a forensic medical examination of his bodily injuries.

According to Konstantin, during the apprehension, the police officers applied an electric shocker against him and then made him stand in a “stretcher” position and hit his foot several times with a rubber truncheon. Subsequently, doctors registered Bukovetsky with a swollen and contused lower leg, as well as with thermal burn of the thigh.

In February 2021, lawyers with the Committee Against Torture submitted a crime report to the Investigative Committee, but it was redirected to the Ministry of the Interior. In June, the district police officer dismissed the claim to open a criminal case. After the application submitted by the lawyers with the Committee Against Torture, the Prosecutor’s Office ordered to forward the application to the Investigative Committee and conduct a pre-investigative check. It started in November of last year.

— As far as I know, Konstantin is the only one who suffered from police violence during the Moscow rallies in January of last year, based on the whose application the investigation was initiated. It took over nine months for the state to acknowledge not the Konstantin’s right to restore justice, but even the right to demand such a restoration. Unfortunately, due to long inaction, the opportunity for effective investigation is lost, that is why much of the evidence is already unavailable, — explained lawyer Georgy Ivanov.

The court fined Bukovetsky for 15 thousand rubles for participation in unauthorized meeting. Previously, the lawyers with the Committee Against Torture applied to the ECHR on behalf of Konstantin. In their opinion, during the examination of the administrative case, the rights to freedom, fair trial, freedom of associations and personal integrity were violated (Articles 5, 6 and 11 of the Convention on protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms).