Employees of Elista colony refuse to plead guilty of Batyrev’s death

Today, seven employees of the local department of the Russian Penitentiary Service (known as the UFSIN) has stated their non-involvement in the death of the inmate Dmitri Batyrev.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the above seven employees of the UFSIN are in the prisoner’s dock of the court that considers the Batyrev's death. Five of them are directly accused of his death, while two others are charged with beating up inmates in 2012.

Today, at the session of the Elista City Court, the state prosecutor has read out the indictment, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

According to investigators’ findings, the colony employees inflicted "at least 60 blows on Batyrev with a special means at their disposal – a rubber truncheon model PR-73, used as a weapon, as well as with their fists and feet."

Batyrev died of his multiple injuries, says the indictment.

The prosecutor has stressed that "none of the defendants took any measures to bring Batyrev to a medical institution for the provision of urgent medical care."

When asked by the judge, whether they agree with the charges, five defendants answered in the negative. The one, accused of abuse of power in 2012, has pleaded guilty "in full". The defendant, who figures in two cases, agreed with the charges in part – on the episode of 2012 on beating up inmates.

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