Photo: Anton Trebukhov, victim of police abuse.

     On 21 November 2008 the Dzerzhinsk district court issued a ruling under Mr. Dmitriy Trebukhov’s (father of underage Anton Trebukhov) complaint. In his complaint tmr. Trebukhov asked the court to cancel the refusal to start criminal proceedings on the allegations of torture issued  by the investigation authorities on 7 August 2008. You may remember that underage Anton Trebukhov – nephew of Vladimir Polyashov, a famous Dzerzhinsk painter who had earlier been battered by the police – was also beaten up by officers of the same police department in May 2008. Having listened to the parties’ statements and to the statements of the third party (police officers who had detained Anton), federal judge Stolbov found the investigator’s refusal to start criminal proceedings unlawful and ill-founded. When the ruling enters into force, the case file will be submitted for an additional check, upon the results of this check the issue of starting a criminal case will be considered again. Anton Trebukhov’s interests were represented in court by lawyer of the Committee against Torture Dmitriy Utukin.

The Committee against torture hopes that this ruling of the Dzerzhinsk city court will lead to initiation of criminal proceedings and will finally restore the rights of the teenager who is yet another victim of police abuse.