Human rights defenders see low chances of punishment of law enforcers in Dagestan for torturing woman

When commenting on the cancellation of the sentence of policemen in a case on torture of a woman from Khasavyurt, human rights defenders have noted that cases when law enforcers are being punished for using torture have become rare. The victim complains that she still has health problems.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the Supreme Court (SC) of Dagestan cancelled the sentence of three policemen in the case on using torture against Yulduz Kurashova and returned the case to the prosecutor’s office.

The cancellation of the sentence in the case on torture of Yulduz Kurashova may be called a victory for the defendants, notes an activist of the human rights organization “Team Against Torture”*.

Earlier, Yulduz Kurashova has claimed that she intends to seek to bring Maya Akhmedova, who was acquitted by the court, to justice. The victim has added that she continues to experience headaches from time to time.

The Yulduz Kurashova’s story is an unusual case when the woman fights for her rights, notes Saida Sirazhudinova, the President of the Centre for Studying Global Issues of Modernity and Regional Problems “Caucasus. World. Development”.

“Policemen are being punished in exceptional cases only ... Now they are even more openly threatening activists in Dagestan, intimidating them and putting pressure on them,” Saida Sirazhudinova noted.

Recently, cases of women fighting for their rights in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) have become a rare phenomenon, emphasizes Svetlana Gannushkina**, the chair of the “Civic Assistance” Committee**. “Even in such conditions, there are a few who are ready to go all the way. The Yulduz Kurashova’s example is very important in this sense. However, every day it is becoming more and more difficult for human rights defenders to work in Northern Caucasus,” Svetlana Gannushkina** stated.

*The “Team against Torture” (TaT, formerly the “Committee against Torture” – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.

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