Resident of Kabardino-Balkaria states that militiamen forced him to self-incriminate

Karalbi Karamizov, a resident of Chegem-2 village, Chegem District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), has addressed the local human rights centre with a complaint against the actions of the militia. He asserts that militiamen forced him to defame himself and other innocent people.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent learnt about it from Timur Tukhuzhev, the lawyer of the centre.

The Karamizov's complaint says that on June 23 militiamen searched his household without presenting any sanctioning documents and then detained him and his two sons, one of which is an invalid.

Mr Karamizov marks that he and his two minor children were kept in the militia for two days.

"We were beaten, intimidated, and, finally, forced to defame ourselves and other innocent persons," he wrote in his complaint. He noted that when he was in the militia he heard shouts and cries of his kids who asked agents not to beat them.

Karamizov asserts that now those militiamen spread information that he and his children were members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), which was the reason of the search and detention.

"My family and I are loyal citizens; never and nowhere, we committed offences; and we live exclusively on results of our labour," runs his complaint.

Karamizov filed a written complaint to the Investigatory Department for the KBR of the Russian ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office) asking to initiate a criminal case against the guilty militiamen; however, according to his story, no investigatory actions have been conducted so far.

Timur Tukhuzhev, the lawyer of the human rights centre, notes that Karamizov's constitutional rights were broken both in the course of the search and during his interrogation at the militia, held without an advocate.

He also notes that the interrogation of Karamizov's minor children was conducted, in violation of part 3, Article 425, of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure, without the presence of an advocate, a teacher or a psychologist. Besides, one of the kids - Kazbek Karamizov - is an invalid since childhood and cannot adequately perceive the sense of his actions and evidences.

Karalbi Karamizov's complaint was sent to the President of the KBR Arsen Kanokov with a request for assistance in bringing the guilty persons to responsibility.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent failed to get any comments on the incidents at the MIA of the KBR.