Communicated on 12 September 2018
THIRD SECTION
Application no. 4057/10
Mussa Magomedovich DAURBEKOV against Russia
and 6 others – see appended list
STATEMENT OF FACTS
The applicants complained under Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention that they had been subjected to ill-treatment by State officials and that the State failed to conduct an effective domestic investigation into those incidents. All of the applicants submitted that their attempts to initiate criminal investigation in connection with the incidents proved futile.
The relevant details regarding the applicants’ allegations and their version of factual circumstances are reflected in the attached appendices. The information regarding the alleged breach of the substantive aspect of Article 3 in contained in Appendix no. 1. The reaction of the domestic authorities to the applicants’ complaints is reflected in Appendix no. 2.
The table of cases:
No.
Application number
Introduction date
Name of the applicant(s); date of birth
place of residence
Represented by
1.
4057/10
21/01/2009
Mussa Magomedovich DAURBEKOV
31/08/1979
Malgobek
MEMORIAL HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE
2.
40067/13
25/03/2013
Yuriy Nikolayevich KUDRYAVTSEV
16/06/1961
Krasnoturyinsk
3.
51919/14
28/06/2014
Semen Nikolayevich KHORUNZHIY
03/01/1987
Gusev
4.
72165/14
07/11/2014
Vladimir Petrovich PRYTKOV
23/06/1981
Orenburg
COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE
5.
4673/15
17/12/2014
Sergey Valeryevich NAPLAVKOV
19/08/1974
Yagul
6.
14389/15
05/03/2015
Isa Ismailovich ISMAILOV
26/07/1978
Novoaleksandrovsk
Oksana Valeryevna SADCHIKOVA
7.
50459/16
02/08/2016
Ayrat Raisovich SITDIKOV
26/11/1978
Chistopol
QUESTIONS
1. Having regard to the injuries found on the applicants after the time spent by them in State custody, have the applicants been subjected to torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment, in breach of Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention (see, among other authorities, Razzakov v. Russia, no. 57519/09, 5 February 2015; Gorshchuk v. Russia, no. 31316/09, 6 October 2015; Turbylev v. Russia, no. 4722/09, 6 October 2015; Fartushin v. Russia, no. 38887/09, 8 October 2015; Aleksandr Andreyev v. Russia, no. 2281/06, 23 February 2016; and Leonid Petrov v. Russia, no. 52783/08, 11 October 2016)?
2. Have the authorities discharged their burden of proof by providing a plausible or satisfactory and convincing explanation of how the applicants’ injuries were caused (see Selmouni, cited above, § 87, and Salman v. Turkey [GC], no. 21986/93, § 100, ECHR 2000‑VII and Bouyid v. Belgium [GC], no. 23380/09, § 83 and further, ECHR 2015)?
3. Did the authorities carry out an effective investigation, in compliance with the procedural obligation under Article 3 of the Convention (see Lyapin v. Russia, no. 46956/09, §§ 125-40, 24 July 2014), having regard to:
(a) the investigating authorities’ refusals to open criminal cases and investigate the applicants’ allegations of ill-treatment by the State officials, and the overruling of those refusals as unlawful and unsubstantiated by higher investigative authorities or courts, and
(b) the investigating authorities’ inability to implement full investigative measures within the framework of the pre-investigation inquiries, before and/or after amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure introduced by Federal Law no. 23-FZ of 4 March 2013, for example, confrontations, identification parades, searches, and so forth?
No
Application No. and Title
APPENDIX No. 1
Article 3 - Substantive aspect
ARREST
ALLEGED ILL-TREATMENT
EVIDENCE
Date
Time
Facts
Region town
street
Entity
Date
Time
Location
Alleged Facts
Perpetrator(s)
Date
Doc Type
Authority
Description
of Injuries
1.
4057/10
Daurbekov v. Russia
22/12/2006
Detention centre
no. 15/1 in Vladikav-kaz, North Ossetia
The applicant was transferred from penal colony no. 5, where he was serving his sentence
06/03/2007; 13/03/2007
Unidentified location (black bag put over the applicant’s head while he was being transported)
Beating over the head with a plastic bottle filled with water; tying black bag on the applicant’s head to make him suffocate, tying up with tape and throwing the applicant into basement, torturing with electric current
Officers of the UBOP
13/03/2007
Medical ambulance report
Vladikavkaz Ambulance Station (Municipal Healthcare Institution)
Haematoma on the forehead, brain concussion, damage of the soft tissues on head and face and damage of internal organs
2.
40067/13
Kudryavtsev v. Russia
25/08/2010
Parkovaya str., 6, 6 Volchansk, Sverdlovsk Region
Beating after the search: kick on the groin with a leg, kicks on the left leg and the head
Officers Ya., G.
30/08/2010
Forensic examination
Sverdlosvk Regional Forensic Bureau
Abrasion on the head (7 to 10 days old); Numerous bruises on the left hip and on the right side of the back (4 to 6 days old)
3.
51919/14
Khorunzhiy v. Russia
19/05/2013
at 17:00
Police station (MO MOVD) "Gusevsky", Gusev, Kaliningrad Region
about 12 hours of beating on the whole body
Three officers (K. and two unknown ones)
21/05/2016
Forensic expert opinion
Forensic Bureau for Kaliningrad Region
Numerous scratches on the front side of the body and on both hands, numerous bruises on the face, the head and all over the body - may have formed 2 to 3 days prior the examination
23/05/2013
Medical examination
IZ-1 of Kaliningrad Region
Fading bruises on both sides of the head, scratches on the left hand
4.
72165/14
Prytkov v. Russia
19/05/20
at 10:00
Two unknown policemen, who never showed their documents to the applicant, asked him to follow them to the police department for a talk.
OOO "Orenburg Vodoka-nal", the applicant’s place of work. Orenburg
District police Dept. No.2 of Orenburg (оперативно-розыскная часть № 2 уголовного розыска УВД по Оренбургской области)
19/05/2010, from 13:00 to 17:20
District police Dept. No.2 of Orenburg (оператив-но-розыск-ная часть № 2 уголовного розыска УВД по Оренбургской области)
On their way from OOO "Orenburg Vodokanal" to police department No. 2 policemen shouted at the applicant and hit him several times. Upon their arrival to the police department the applicant was ill-treated from 13:00 to 17:20. Two policemen tied the applicant’s hands, tied him to a chair, strangled him and suffocated him by putting a plastic bag on his head. They also hit the applicant in his chest and head and threatened to rape him and injure his relatives.
Operational-search officers T and F
19/05/2010
Medical certificate
Сity hospital No. 1 of Orenburg (Муниципальная городская клиническая больница скорой медицинской помощи № 1)
Degloving mouth injury, hypertension of 1-2 degree
24/05/2010
Medical history record
Сity hospital No. 1 of Orenburg
Concussion, head and chest injuries
5.
4673/15
Naplavkov v. Russia
23/02/2013at 23:00 The applicant was brought to the police station from a hospital (he was hospitalised being in ethyl coma)
Police station no.4, Izhevsk (ОП № 4 УМВД России
по г. Ижевску)
Investiga-tive Committee of Izhevsk
23/02/2013
The applicant’s house, then Police station no.4, Izhevsk
According to the applicant he was first hit on the head by police officers before he was taken to hospital. Then he was brought to the police station where he was kicked in his head and shoulders in order to obtain confession.
Policemen Mr G., Mr L., Mr Y. (the applicant always refers to perpetrators as "policemen"). Initials are taken from refusals to open a criminal case).
23/02/2013
Emergency room certificate (карта вызова станции скорой медицинской помощи)
Emergency room, Izhevsk
Ethyl coma. No injuries
e.g. bruises
26/02/2013
Expert opinion no. 1986
Forensic bureau of the Udmurt Region
Multiple bruises on the left shoulder, 2-3 cm. no more than 2 days prior to examination (conducted between 24/02/2013 and 26/02/2013
6.
14389/15
Ismailov v. Russia
18/06/2013
LIU-8, Neftekumsk
4 baton strikes on legs and buttocks
prison officials (Раджабов Р.М и Раджабов М.Х.)
18/06/2013
Medical certificate
LIU-8 medical ward doctor
Bruises of lower limbs and buttocks
n/a
Expert medical report
Forensic Bureau, Stavropol Region.
Bruises of lower limbs and buttocks
7.
50459/16
Sitdikov v. Russia
04/12/2013
at 10:00,
(apprehend-ded on 03/12/2013)
Room No. 323 of the police Dept. of the Nizhne-kamsk District (УМВД России по Нижнекамскому району)
Investiga-tive Department of Nizhne-kamsk
12/12/2013, aftternoon
Unspecified
The applicant (then in pre-trial detention) was blindfolded and taken somewhere by car. He was brought to a building, where he was left with some five or six persons. They tied his legs (so that they were close to the applicant’s head), administered electric shocks to his arms, legs and genitalia. He was tortured for three or four hours.
Unspecified
04/12/2013
Forensic medical record (протокол освидетельствования)
Doctor Sch.
No injuries
14/12/2013
at night
Unspecified location
As on 12/12/2013, the applicant was again taken to an unknown location and tortured with electrodes.
Unspecified location
13/12/2013
Forensic medical record (протокол освидетельствования)
Doctor F.
Injuries on the applicant’s hands and legs.
23/06/2013
Forensic examination report
(заключение эксперта) No. 1/3031
Forensic Bureau of the Tatarstan Republic
Skin pigmentation areas (arms, hands, feet); several cicatrices on right leg and foot (estimated age 3-6 months)
No
Application No. and Title
APPENDIX No. 2
Article 3 - Procedural aspect
DOMESTIC COMPLAINT AND THE GOVERNMENT REACTION
Date of
Complaint
Authority
Type of
Reaction
Date(s)
Procedural Outcome
1.
4057/10
Daurbekov v. Russia
30/03/2007
The Prosecutor’s office of the RSO-Alania
Consistently refused
21/07/2009
The applicant complained to the prosecutor’s office and further to domestic courts within criminal proceedings. The domestic courts examined the statements about the physical violence against the applicant in detail and refuted those arguments, ascertaining that there was no objective evidence of violence against the applicant by the police officers (Judgment of the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alaniya of 29/12/2008, upheld by the Cassation Judgment of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 21/07/2009).
No effective investigation of the applicant’s injuries was held.
2.
40067/13
Kudryavtsev v. Russia
30/08/2010
The Prosecutor’s office of the Sverdlovsk Region
Consistently refused
11/03/2015
Consistently refused Numerous refusals quashed on numerous occasions and then repeated. Main official version: self-inflicted injuries. The forensic expert considered this version improbable.
3.
51919/14
Khorunzhiy v. Russia
27/05/2013
The Investigation Committee of the Kaliningrad Region
Consistently refused, then granted
14/03/2016
Refused, then granted
Prior to opening of the investigation - 7 refusals
4.
72165/14
Prytkov v. Russia
28/05/2010 - initial complaint
and in August 2014 – Article 125 complaint
The Investigative Committee of the Orenburg Region
Refused, then granted
First refusal to open a criminal case - on28/06/2010, which was set aside on 29/06/2010. Afterwards - ten refusals followed in the course of 2010-2011.
Article 125 of the CCPr proceedings - final decision of 12/09/2014
First decision - refusal to open a criminal case (28/06/2010). The refusal was set aside on 29/06/2010. Then again there was a refusal to initiate a criminal case that was later on dismissed. In sum, there were eleven refusals to open a criminal case in the course of 2010-2011.
On 16/11/2011 a criminal case was opened. The case was terminated on 16/09/2012. This decision was reversed on 19/10/2012. Two more times the case was opened and terminated. The applicant received the last decision to terminate criminal proceedings in August 2014. He brought an Article 125 complaint under the CCPr. The complaint was granted on 12/09/2014. It does not appear that the investigation made any progress since then.
5.
4673/15
Naplavkov v. Russia
16/09/2013 and 8/07/2014
The Ustinovskiy District Court of Izhevsk (trial court) and Supreme Court of the Udmurt Region (appeal)
Consistently refused
16/09/2013 and 8/07/2014
Ill-treatment allegations were rejected groundless and unsubstantiated with medical documents being apparently ignored.
The applicant tried to initiate a criminal case several times before and after his allegations were dealt with during trial. He was consistently refused. Main Alleged weakness in an investigation is a failure to consider medical documents confirming the applicant’s version of the events.
6.
14389/15
Ismailov v. Russia
n/a
The Investigation Committee of the Stavropol Region
Consistently refused
23/08/2014
The criminal investigation was consistently refused. The applicant appealed against the refusal of 23/08/2014 in court. On 18/07/2014 the complaint was dismissed on the merits by the first instance court. On 25/09/2014 the applicant’s appeal was dismissed on appeal.
7.
50459/16
Sitdikov v. Russia
17/06/2014
Investigative Committee of the Tatarstan Republic
Consistently refused
22/03/2016
On 30/07/2014 an investigator refused to initiate a criminal case. The applicant filed an Article 125 of the CCPr complaint. It was dismissed on 19/08/2014 by the Sovetskiy District Court of Kazan (upheld on appeal on 14/10/2014 by the Supreme Court of the Tatarstan Republic).
On 3/11/2015 the decision of 30/07/2014 was dismissed. However, then again a decision not to initiate a criminal case was taken on 27/11/2015.
The applicant filed an Article 125 complaint again, to no avail (15/01/2016 - first instance, 22/03/2016 - appeal)
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