19:12, 7 December 2023

Verdict to Ingush law enforcer for beating detainee increased

The appellate instance has sentenced Amiran Merzhoev, a former law enforcer, to two years in penal colony; earlier, he was sentenced conditionally for beating a detainee in Magas.

The Supreme Court (SC) of Ingushetia has toughened Merzhoev's sentence. Earlier, he was sentenced to four years of conditional imprisonment, the human rights project "Trauma Point" has reported in its Telegram channel.

According to human rights defenders, a criminal case was opened after in January 2022, law enforcers in Magas detained Timur Derbichev, a local resident, on suspicion of illegal drug possession. At the power division, Merzhoev approached the detainee and demanded that he kneel down, and after refusing, he beat Derbichev up.

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported that on October 20, investigators reported the detention of four policemen suspected of abuse of power with the use of violence.

According to investigators, on October 5, four employees of the Malgobek ROVD (District Interior Division) unjustifiably detained a 31-year-old local resident and used violence against him, demanding that he confess to involvement in drug dealing.

In Ingushetia, there are frequent cases of law enforcers using prohibited interrogation methods, but only a few are brought to justice. At the same time, in Russia as a whole, not a single sentence has been passed under the article on abuse of power with the use of torture since it was added to the Criminal Code, human rights defenders have noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 6, 2023 at 12:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot