Complaint about refusal to investigate torture of actor Timur Debishev returned to Grozny court

The Supreme Court of Chechnya has found that a district court in Grozny unreasonably dismissed a complaint filed about the investigators’ refusal to institute a case on torture of actor Timur Debishev. The complaint has been returned to the first instance court.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on July 19, the Supreme Court of Chechnya cancelled another decision to refuse to institute a case on Timur Debishev’s complaint about torture at a police station. However, on August 1, the judge of the Visaitovsky District Court of Grozny recused himself.

In April, the Supreme Court (SC) of Chechnya cancelled the court’s decision, which for the 13th time recognized as legal the refusal to institute a criminal case on torture of Timur Debishev. Human rights defenders called the Supreme Court’s decision rare for Chechnya and encouraging.

The complaint will be reconsidered by the first instance court, which judge recused himself from the case, the “Kavkaz.Realii”* reports.

Let us remind you that in 2018, Timur Debishev, an actor at the Grozny Russian Drama Theatre, complained that he was tortured by law enforcers. According to the actor’s complaint, the law enforcers found his mobile phone number among the contacts of a drug suspect, after which they tortured him with electric current and beat him, demanding to mention his acquaintances addicted to drugs.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.