Broadcasting Company “GTRK Mari El” with the assistance of press-service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On 10 February, 2010 a two-day seminar was held in the conference hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Mari El. Human rights NGOs “Human being and Law” and “Committee against Torture” (Nizhny Novgorod) organized and held this seminar within the framework of the joint project “Comprehensive rehabilitation of victims of tortures and change anti-torture state policy”. The program is supported by the European Commission.

The seminar was attended by more than 70 police officers of municipal and regional departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, representatives of the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor’s office of the Republic of Mari El. The main purpose of the meeting is legal education of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Republic of Mari El. In Yoshkar-Ola Town Court there was held a court meeting on Dmitriy Efremov’s appeal from the order to dismiss criminal complaint. The court found the decision not to institute criminal proceedings illegal and a check conducted by an investigator of the Investigation Department of Yoshkar-Ola under the prosecutor’s office incomplete.

We remind you that on 2 January, 2008 Dmitriy Efremov was taken to the Zarechniy police department as he was in a state of extreme intoxication in a public place, and resisted legitimate demands of police officers. According to the men he was beaten with a rubber truncheon during his detention.

Dmitriy Efremov applied to the Representation of NGO “The Committee against Torture” under Regional public organization “Human being and Law” in the Republic of Mari El. Specialists of the department of public investigations conducted a check and came to conclusion that state representatives had violated human rights of the man.

Investigation authorities had refused to initiate criminal proceedings for nearly two years.

During the check of Dmitriy Efremov’s application the investigator found that police had used special weapons (rubber batons) against the man. However, even the presence of medical documents testifying man’s injuries wasn’t the reason to initiate criminal proceedings.

During the court session, the court pointed to the fact that it is necessary to hold additional expertise and in accordance with its results the question of the legality of the action of police will be solved.

According to a lawyer of the Representation of NGO “The Committee against Torture” under Regional public organization “Human being and Law” in the Republic of Mari El Dmitriy Yalikov, during the check the evidence of unlawful actions of police was collected an investigator is obliged to initiate a criminal case for abuse of power.