In Dagestan, local resident claims delay of investigation into his accidental injury by power agents

Ibragim Aliev, a resident of the Khasavyurt District, who in last November was shelled by power agents by error, claims delay of the investigation into the incident. Investigators failed to reveal who opened fire on a car of the local resident and wounded him and damaged his car. Officials from the investigatory agencies of the Khasavyurt District state that the investigation into the incident is underway.

According to Ibragim Aliev, the incident occurred on November 17, 2011, in the "Beshbulak" area of the Khasavyurt District. At about 08:00 p.m., during control and cordoning measures, power agents shelled and damaged his car. Ibragim Aliev himself was also wounded.

"I was wounded by two bullets, one of which is still in my spine column. The doctors state that it is dangerous to remove it," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Ibragim Aliev.

According to the victim, the power agents signalled him to stop his car, and he obeyed; however, when the car was slowing down, they opened fire on him. It turned out that the power agents had confused the Ibragim Aliev's car with the other person's car.

Ibragim Aliev himself wonders why the investigation into the case has not been yet completed, since almost 11 months passed from the moment when unlawful acts had been committed against him.

According to lawyer Mansur Sepikhanov, who represents the interests of the victim, only on April 17, 2012, the Khasavyurt Inter-District Investigatory Division instituted a criminal case on the incident under Article 118 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (infliction of grievous bodily harm by negligence, committed as a result of improper performance by a person of his or her professional duties).

According to the lawyer, under the Article, the guilty persons face custodial restraint for a term of up to 4 years with deprivation of the right to occupy certain official positions or being engaged in certain activities for a term of up to 3 years or without it.

The lawyer and the victim himself believe that the investigation is being conducted inefficiently and is being delayed.

"The investigators revealed that the shots were committed by the group, which included staff members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD)," Ibragim Aliev reports on the course of the investigation.

According to him, the staff members of the Ministry of Defence testified that the shooting was committed by the MIA's officers, and the policemen changed their initial explanations and testified that the shooting was committed by the MoD's officers.

"I also gave testimony that the shooters spoke in Kumyk language. Thus, the investigators have a comprehensive list of persons, who may be involved in the shelling of my car. However, no MIA's and MoD's officers were interrogated in confrontation," the victim states.

According to Ibragim Aliev, all the work of the investigators includes only summoning him for questioning, and, "taking into account the fact that the investigator, who examined the place of the incident, not even gathered shells, it is directed to ensure that the guilty persons could avoid liability."

On behalf of his client, Mansur Sepikhanov filed complaints to Andrei Nazarov, Prosecutor of Dagestan, with a request "to take the case under control and not to extend the investigation on formally motivated requests of the investigators."

Officials from the investigatory agencies of the Khasavyurt District do not comment on the investigation of the case, referring to the secrecy of the investigation. "On the fact, the criminal case was instituted, and the investigation is underway," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a source in the district investigatory agencies.