KBR resident states being tortured

Khabas Kugotov, a resident of the village of Svetlovodskoe, Zolsky District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), born in 1989, has stated that power agents had tortured him and forced to incriminate himself. On May 21, he submitted his respective applications to the Republic's Human Rights Centre (HRC) and the HRC "Memorial", as well as to Zalim Kashirokov, the KBR's Minister for Prevention of Extremism and Realization of Youth Policy, and the Republic's Ombudsman Boris Zumakulov.

His applications state that Khabas Kugotov was detained by law enforcers on April 22, 2016.

According to his story, until May 17, Kugotov was kept in Nalchik, but then, without explanations, he was transferred to Cherkessk. On the way there, the young man was tortured, he asserts.

"They put a bag over my head and handcuffed me; then, they wrapped my thumbs with some cloth, connected wires to them and tortured me with electric current. They demanded from me to plead guilty and incriminate myself. Unable to withstand the torture, I confessed," says the application posted on the website of the KBR's HRC.

The HRC of the KBR has demanded from the Prosecutor's Office to investigate the circumstances of Kugotov's criminal prosecution.

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