Fotov, detained resident of Kabardino-Balkaria, was not tortured, his advocate says

After Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Committee "Civil Assistance", interfered into the case of Ratmir Fotov, who had been detained in Kabardino-Balkaria, his advocate Larissa Dorogova, who was hired by Ratmir's relatives, managed to meet him.

As reported by the lawyer, her client was neither beaten nor tortured.

As to Ms Gannushkina, she regards the incident as kidnapping.

Leila Sibekova, Mr Fotov's wife, told the details of the detention. She has sent letters about it to V. Ustov, head of the head of the Investigatory Committee of the ICPO for Kabardino-Balkaria, to human rights organizations and mass media.

"At 5:30 p.m. an armed group of people in masks and camouflage, some 20 fighters strong, jumped into the yard of our house. Under their demand my husband went out to them voluntarily. They searched him and put into their car," her letter runs.

None of the power agents presented himself, showed any ID or answered the question about the agency they represented.

The letter also notes that at 9 p.m. Fotov was taken away to some unknown place.

On June 15, at 1:45 a.m., Svetlana Gannushkina, chair of the Committee "Civil assistance", received information that Fotov was found at the UVD (Interior Department) of Nalchik, where he is exposed to investigatory actions with participation of another advocate.

So far, no comments arrived from law enforcement bodies on Ratmir Fotov's case.

As it became known later from unofficial sources, initially Fotov was in the same car with Adam Tlisov and Beslan Emkuzhev, shot dead yesterday in Nalchik in Lenin Avenue. Shortly before the car with Tlisov and Emkuzhev was shelled, Fotov left it.