ECtHR puts questions to Russian government in connection with Tarkhan Kartoev’s death

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has communicated the complaint filed after the death of Tarkhan Kartoev, a convict for blowing up the "Neva Express" train, who died in one of the establishment of the FSIN (Russian Federal Penitentiary System).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 27, 2009, 10 natives of Ingushetia were convicted on charges of undermining the "Neva Express" train. Tarkhan Kartoev was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. He was transferred to a penal colony in Yekaterinburg, where he died a week later. Officials of FSIN Department of Sverdlovsk then stated that no signs of violent death had been revealed on the convict. However, when relatives received his body, they found numerous bruises and wounds on it. The advocate Tatiana Okushko filed a complaint about Kartoev’s violent death. However, the Investigating Department for Yekaterinburg of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) refused to initiate a criminal case.

Tarkhan Kartoev’s death was violent, Ms Okushko asserts.

"His body was all in red spots: he was tortured with boiling water,” said Tatiana Okushko, adding that the body had a large number of bruises and that during his life Tarkhan Kartoev received a traumatic brain injury.

"We hope that now, after the ECtHR has accepted the complaint of Tarkhan’s relatives, Yekaterinburg investigators will reopen the inquiry into this criminal case; and those guilty will be punished,” said the advocate.

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