Ruslan Rakhaev not involved in detainee's death, independent forensic examiner reports

In court, Andrei Tazeev, an expert of the "Central Bureau of Independent Forensic Examinations", has compared two key examinations conducted in the case against Ruslan Rakhaev, the deputy chief of the UVD (Interior Department) for the city of Cherkessk. The investigators' version was based on the conclusions made by the Moscow Region Bureau of Forensic Medical Examinations (FME). However, Andrei Tazeev called them unfounded and claimed that the injuries inflicted to detainee Djankezov before his meeting with the defendant were enough to cause his death.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 8, 2013, Ruslan Rakhaev was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment on the charge of beating detainee Dakhir Djankezov, after which he died. On October 8, 2013, the verdict was cancelled, and the case is again under consideration. The defence insists that the detainee was beaten by policemen, the key prosecution witnesses.

On July 14, the Cherkessk City Court questioned Andrei Tazeev, the chief of the department for difficult examinations of the "Central Bureau of Independent Forensic Examinations". The expert has explained to the court that at the request of the defence, he had compared the results of the examinations conducted by the Russian Centre of FME and the Moscow Region Bureau of FME in the period of additional investigation to resolve contradictions in three earlier examinations.

"I've got an impression that these expert bureaus received completely different materials of the criminal case and different biological materials for the medical and forensic examination," notes Andrei Tazeev.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.