MIA starts checking allegations about torturing Cherkessk resident

Islam Kubanov, a detained a resident of the city of Cherkessk, was tortured by power agents, after which he was urgently hospitalized and underwent surgery, said his relatives. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has launched a service investigation of the relatives' application.

Currently, Islam Kubanov, born in 1976, is kept at the Cherkessk SIZO (pre-trial prison), Galina Urusova, one of his relatives, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, adding that Islam was tortured with electric current; and his body has no traces of beating.

According to Angela Urusova, a Kubanov's advocate, her client was detained at night on April 17, after power agents stopped his car.

"During the search, they planted a pistol with a silencer on him' then, they forced him to sign the protocol under a threat that otherwise they would plant a lot of things on him," said the lawyer.

On April 17, the Cherkessk City Court placed Kubanov in custody for a month; and on April 20, his defence appealed against this decision.

Kubanov was detained on suspicion of illegal possession of firearms, says the statement on opening a criminal case against him.

The MIA of Karachay-Cherkessia has confirmed that they had received the application about illegal actions of power agents in relation to Kubanov; however, the MIA has refuted his relatives' allegations that SIZO of Cherkessk has no medical and was unable to help Kubanov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.