For five years, with the support of the CAT, police abuse victim Roman Gastemirov from Grozny has been trying to make the state open a criminal case and prosecute the perpetrators on the national level. The state has refused to do so. Applying to the Strasbourg Court is the last chance for Roman to attain justice.

You may remember that on 10 August 2005 Roman Gastemirov was detained and taken to the Leninsky district Directorate of the Interior in Grozny. There the police brutally beat Roman suggesting that he should confess to weapons transportation and links with armed gangs. On the fifth or sixth day they started torturing him with electricity. He could not stand the torture and lost consciousness. An ambulance was called in. On 20 August 2005 Roman was taken to remand prison IZ-20/1 where his numerous injuries were documented. 

During the public investigation lawyers of the Interregional Committee Against Torture established the fact of Roman’s abuse and the fact of ineffective official investigation of that incident.

The Prosecutor’s Office refused to open a criminal case on the allegations of torture. The investigation authorities issued several refusals to initiate criminal proceedings which were cancelled by higher-standing bodies. But finally, at the end of last year the first and second instances supported the position of the Prosecutor’s Office.