Case on beating Azerbaijani citizen by militiaman in Nizhni Novgorod sent to court

The criminal case initiated on beating Emil Dadashov, a citizen of Azerbaijan, by a militiaman of Nizhni Novgorod has arrived to the Nizhniy Novgorod District Court.

This case has caused broad public resonance, having continued the series of news items about violent actions against citizens of Azerbaijan in Russia. In 2008, the "Caucasian Knot" reported about nine attacks on Azerbaijanis. Interethnic enmity was then recognized as the motive of these crimes.

The Inter-Regional Committee against Torture (IRCAT), which defends Mr Dadashov's interests, has reported that now the Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Court will have to clear the motive of Senior Militia Lieutenant Sergey Biryukov, operative officer of the Criminal Search Division of the Nizhniy Novgorod District Interior Department.

It was established in the course of preliminary investigation that defendant Biryukov got, without any instruction of his bosses, into the cells for administrative detainees, where Emil Dadashov was kept. After the latter refused to give to a cigarette to the militiaman, Biryukov kicked Emil's body with his leg and gave another head-to-head blow. The prosecution has qualified the militiaman's actions as a crime covered by points "a" and "b", part 3, Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Excess of official powers with application of violence").

Initially, the Investigatory Committee refused to open a criminal case and made it only after the IRCAT's lawyers lodged a complaint to the court. It happened only seven months after Emil was beaten.