Additional check of Demerchyan's beating undertaken in Sochi

On August 2, in Sochi, investigators resumed checking the information that the builder Mardiros Demerchyan had been beaten by policemen. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Artyom Semenets, an investigator from the Adler Division of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

By his decision of July 13, Semenets refused to institute criminal proceedings against the policemen, who were accused by Demerchyan of beating him.

On August 2, Mardiros Demerchyan and Artyom Semenets were in the police station "Blinovo", where, according to the builder, he was tortured by policemen. Demerchyan said that the policemen in question were not present during the check. His wife Lyudmila Demerchyan was also there; she gave her husband's jersey with, according to her version, traces of blood to the investigator.

"These investigative actions – the seizure of evidence, examination of the crime scene, interrogation of suspects and confrontation – should have been done by the investigator on the day of the crime, in hot pursuit, not in two and a half months later, when all the traces of the torture have been virtually destroyed. What does such approach indicate? I believe, either investigator's incompetence or the corruption and frank pledge mutual responsibility," said Alexander Boichenko, the Demerchyan's defender.

The lawyer also stated his intention to challenge the investigator, but he is not sure that another one will bring better results.

Earlier it was reported that the GUVD (Chief Interior Department) of the Krasnodar Territory revealed no illegal actions of policemen in the case of Demerchyan and Krbaschyan.