23:52, 28 December 2018

Rights defenders: release of a prisoner in Ingushetia because of sickness justified

Pre-trial detention facility. Photo: Yelena Sineok YUGA.ru

After his exemption from punishment, Magomed Bekov, sentenced in a criminal case of torture in the Ingush "E" Centre (Centre for Combating Extremism), lives at home and visits a hospital, his advocate reports. An exemption from punishment for sickness is not a rare case, although many sick prisoners cannot achieve such a solution, rights defenders report.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in November, a court in Nalchik released Magomed Bekov for health reasons.

Magomed Bekov was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in the case on torture at the Ingush "E" Centre. The verdict to seven law enforcers was pronounced by the court in Nalchik on July 27. All defendants completely denied the charges.

According to the advocate, the Magomed Bekov's health state deteriorated during the trial. At present, he stays at the hospital after chemotherapy.

Nadezhda Radnaeva, a lawyer at the Foundation for the Protection of Prisoners' Rights, has noted that there were 944 cases in which seriously ill people did not live to be released.

According to the lawyer, the Foundation has not yet encountered the abuse of the right to exemption from punishment for seriously ill patients. However, "such abuses take place" because of the corruptness of the judicial system.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 28, 2018 at 07:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Gor Alexanyan

Source: CK correspondent