ICRF Branch cancels refusal to open torture criminal case of Chechen actor

The Chechen Branch of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) has overturned the refusal to initiate a criminal case on the application of Timur Debishev, a Chechen actor, who reported being beaten up and tortured by law enforcers.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in 2018, Timur Debishev, an actor of the Lermontov Russian Drama Theatre in Grozny, claimed that he had been tortured by law enforcers. According to his version, law enforcers had found his phone number among the contacts of some woman, suspected of drug dealing, tortured him with electric shocks and beat him up, demanding to expose the drug addicts he knew. While examining Debishev's contacts, operative agents got interested in his acquaintances from the Chechen folklore ensemble "Nokhcho". At least one of them, Tamerlan Amaev, was beaten up by law enforcers in the eyes of Timur. Later, Amaev and two of his ensemble colleagues testified confirming the law enforcers' version. Investigators have repeatedly refused to open a criminal case on Timur Debishev's application.

A court in Grozny was supposed to consider Debishev's complaint about the refusal to initiate a case, but investigators themselves decided to cancel it, the "Kavkaz.Realii"* outlet has reported with reference to Sergei Romanov, a lawyer of the "Team against Torture"**.

"From the very beginning, Chechen investigators had every reason to conduct an inquiry," Timur Debishev stated back in June 2021.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 9, 2022 at 03:52 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.