Resident of Dagestani Khasavyurt complains about beating by law enforcers

Islam Saritov, a resident of Khasavyurt, has suggested that law enforcers had beaten him up out of revenge for his complaints about torture and fabrication of his criminal case. The second figurant in the case has stated that he was forced to slander himself and Saritov, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" has reported.

According to Saritov, on June 10, 2019, he and his friend Daud came to a café in Khasavyurt, where he met a former operative agent, who in 2015 investigated his criminal case. The former operative agent and his acquaintances, one of whom stated that he was an employee of a power structure, brutally beat up Islam and his friend, the press service of the HRC "Memorial" has reported.

When Saritov was in hospital, at night, as he said, some unidentified persons appeared under the windows of his ward and began shouting threats against him. He is confident that the beating at the café is a revenge for his complaints.

The second defendant in this case, Zaurbek Omarov, pleaded guilty during the preliminary investigation, but later said that he had confessed under torture.

The HRC "Memorial" has noted that at the trial the victims failed to identify Saritov and Omarov, while the witness-employee of the power structure confirmed the alibi of Islam Saritov.

According to the HRC, because of this Zaurbek Omarov's statement, the judge decided to resume the judicial investigation. The court intends to question the law enforcers, who, according to Omarov, had beaten him up.