Lawyer from Kabardino-Balkaria reports torture of detainees by law enforcers

The two local residents of the republic suspected of illegal possession of ammunition and explosives, the butcher-seller Mohammed Shakov and his master Islam Beshkurov, were detained with numerous procedural violations and tortured. This was stated by lawyer Magamed Abubakarov.

According to his story, Mohammed Shakov was detained on November 18 in Dugulubgey village, Baksan District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), during lunch time in the butcher shop, where he worked as a seller. Militiamen put Shakov down on the floor, handcuffed his hands behind his back, put a black plastic bag over his head, pressed to the floor and did not allow him to move; they blocked the entrance to the shop, and let nobody in.

Only 1.5 hours later, said the lawyer, an investigator appeared, still later - the witnesses; and then personal search of Shakov was conducted, during which to surprise of Muhammad a grenade was taken out of his pocket. Power agents took Shakov to Nalchik, most likely, to Centre "E" (for counteracting extremism), where he was interrogated for several hours. During the interrogation the detainee was tortured with electric current; he was asked various questions, to which he knew no answers, said the lawyer.

According to his story, Shakov was asked about his fellow-villagers and about a relative of his wife Tamirlan Dyshekov, who is on the federal wanted list as a participant in illegal armed formations (IAFs). After midnight Shakov was brought to the IVS (temporary detention centre) of the Baksan ROVD, where an official protocol of his detention was made. In respect to Shakov, the court chose the freedom restriction measure in the form of placing into custody.

For almost 24 hours his relatives or the lawyer, who was hired by them, could not learn, where Shakov was kept. Only in the morning on November 19 Abubakarov learned that Shakov was kept at the IVS of the Baksan ROVD. The advocate was not let to him, and, according to his story, by force, right under his arms, drove him out of the ROVD. Abubakarov plans to file a complaint against the officials' actions to the prosecutor's office.

Only after a call was made to the ROVD from Moscow by employees of the Committee "Civil Assistance", and after fax messages were sent to the prosecutor's office, around the noon on November 19, the lawyer could see the defendant, runs the statement of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", received by the "Caucasian Knot" editorial board.

A call to the ROVD was made also by Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Board of the HRC "Memorial" and a member of the Expert Board under the Russian Ombudsman. They rejected the fact of non-admission of the lawyer to his client and explained that the former was "just asked to wait," because at the time there was a "shift change" at the ROVD.

On the same day Islam Beshkurov was also detained. He was driving home from his work, when suddenly his car was blocked by two cars without registration number plates. Armed power agents in masks jumped out of the cars, dragged Beshkurov out of his car, knocked down on asphalt, handcuffed hands behind his back, and put a black bag over his head.

According to Magamed Abubakarov, what happened further was very similar to the story with Shakov - an investigator appeared 1.5 hours later, still later witnesses were brought, and the venue was examined. As a result, some ammunition and a TNT (trotyl) block were extracted from under the front seats; and five rounds were taken out of Beshkurov's trouser pocket.

Same as Shakov, he was brought to a division of Centre "E" and interrogated under torture. After the midnight, Beshkurov was brought to the IVS of the Baksan ROVD, where the detention protocol was made; and only on November 21 the Baksan District Court ruled to restrict Beshkurov's freedom by detention.

According to lawyer Abubakarov, the bodies of Beshkurov and Shakov have visible marks of beatings. Both of his clients were examined at the IVS; and they even had to call ambulance to Shakov. Currently, both feel satisfactory. Both Abubakakrov's clients are suspected of committing an offence stipulated by Part 1, Article 222 (illegal possession, transportation or carrying ammunition, explosives or explosive devices), of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.