As you may know the respondents under this case are detention facility IZ-52/1, the RF Ministry of Finance, Central Department of the Federal Service of Penalty Execution (GUFSIN) in Nizhny Novgorod region and the RF Federal Service of Penalty Execution (FSIN).

    In the course of the hearing the court listened to the parties’ opinions, testimonies of the plaintiff’s witnesses and witnesses invited by the respondent – junior inspectors of the detention facility who had been on duty on 9 March 2007 – were interrogated. Unfortunately the main “dramatis personae” – senior officers, head of the special unit and, of course, head of the detention facility – failed to appear before the court. Although the main questions were addressed to them. The court also examined the written evidence containing in the case file. It should be mentioned that representatives of the responding party again denied the claims. In view of the fact that the lawyer of the Committee Against Torture that represents the interests of the Andronov family in the process subjoined new facts to the materials, the representative of the Ministry of Finance requested the court to adjourn the hearing in order to get into the details of these documents and prepare for the hearing of arguments. Federal judge Tatyana Kuzina satisfied the request and adjourned the proceedings until the next Friday. The proceeding resume on 21 September at 10 a.m.