The European Court will consider the complaint about policemen from Mariy El who abused a businessman from Yoshkar-Ola
Yoshkar-Ola businessman Rinat Nigmatzyanov applied for help to the regional non-governmental organization “Man and Law” (Mariy El) and its partner Interregional Committee against Torture in summer 2006. He claimed that he had been detained by the police and taken to the Republican Ministry of the Interior in Yoshkar Ola where he had been battered by officers of the Organized Crime Department.
According to Nigmatzyanov, he was detained at night on 19 June 2006 while meeting his business partner in a city café.
All of a sudden armed people wearing masks appeared. They put Mr. Nigmatzyanov and other men on the floor and searched them. Later he was taken to the Republican Ministry of the Interior where he was battered by Organized Crime Department staff. Rinat got a blow on the face and several kicks on the body, after that he was made to stand in the corridor for six hours. After the battery Mr. Nigmatzyanov was released under a written pledge to come back on the 22nd.
On 22 June Mr. Nigmatzyanov was not abused, however an Organized Crime Department officer threatened him saying that he would “settle his hash”.
Mr. Nigmatzyanov applied to the Prosecutor’s Office, but to no effect. The investigation authorities 7 times refused to open criminal proceedings under Rinat’s application.
Meanwhile, the public investigation conducted by the ICAT and RNGO “Man and Law” showed that the actions of the police amounted to abuse of powers with violent treatment and use of special devices.
Besides, the police allegedly violated article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms prohibiting tortures.
Inefficient prosecutorial investigation suggests that the investigation authorities breached art. 13 of the Convention by depriving Mr. Nigmatzyanov of the right to an effective investigation.
As a result an application in the interests of Rinat was lodged with the European Court that will deal with the situation by assessing state agents’ actions.