ICRF rejects Eskerkhanov's demand to open criminal case on torture

The Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has dismissed the request, lodged by Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, a figurant in the Nemtsov's murder case, to open a criminal case on the torture, allegedly applied to him by law enforcers, the "Kommersant" reports.

The Eskerkhanov's statement was handed over to investigating authorities by rights defenders, who visited him in the SIZO (pre-trial prison). On April 20, a pre-investigation check was appointed on the statement. It was conducted by Alexei Stadnikov, an investigator of the Chief Investigating Department of the ICRF, who had earlier checked a similar statement of Zaur Dadaev, the "Kommersant" writes.

The statement lodged by Eskerkhanov says that after detention operative agents threw him half-naked and handcuffed onto the floor face down and forced him to lie like that for about an hour and a half. According to his story, law enforcers stepped on his back and head. Eskerkhanov has also reported that agents tried to force him to confess of killing Nemtsov.

By the results of his check, Stadnikov refused to initiate a case, because "information was received that contradicted Eskerkhanov's evidence."

Roza Magomedova, Eskerkhanov's advocate, plans to appeal against the refusal.

On April 24, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow extended, at investigators' request, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov's arrest until August 28. On June 5, his advocate Shamsudin Tsakayev said that Dadaev had appealed against the investigators' refusal to open a case on use of unlawful actions against him.

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