Russia: Tatarstan interior ministry rejects torture allegations from 'Pussy Riot' murder suspect
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 September 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Tatarstan interior ministry rejects torture allegations from 'Pussy Riot' murder suspect, 4 September 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5052e2bd28.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 04, 2012
The Interior Ministry in Russia's Tatarstan Republic has rejected allegations from a murder suspect that investigators used threats of beating and rape to pressure him to confess.
Lawyers for the suspect, Igor Danilevsky, a 38-year-old university lecturer in the Tatar city of Kazan, say he now denies his confession.
Danilevsky was arrested last week after two women were found stabbed to death in their apartment.
Their bodies were found near a message that had been scrawled on the wall reading "Free Pussy Riot!" – a reference to the three members of a Russian female punk band who were sentenced to two years in prison for a performance in a Moscow cathedral critical of President Vladimir Putin.
Police in Tatarstan have faced multiple claims this year that they have tortured detainees this year.
Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
