"Public Verdict": Russia fails to give clear answers to ECtHR on Demerchyan’s case

Today, it became known what answers the Russian party has sent to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on the case of torture applied to Sochi builder Mardiros Demerchyan, Oleg Novikov, an employee of the "Public Verdict", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Mardiros Demerchyan worked in Sochi at construction of Olympic facilities and was detained on June 12, 2013, on charge of stealing building materials. Mardiros Demerchyan complained about being severely tortured at a police station.

"Georgy Matyushkin, the Russia’s representative at the ECtHR, said in his letter to the Court that Demerchyan’s complaint contains no violation of the rights guaranteed by Articles 3 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (prohibition of torture and the right to an effective remedy). Besides, Mr Matyushkin just failed to answer a number of questions asked by the ECtHR," Oleg Novikov has explained.

He added that the Russian party failed to provide, in response to the ECtHR’s demand, the hourly report on where and how Demerchyan was kept after detention.

"The Russian party argues in favour of ‘unjustified’ Demerchyan’s complaint that Demerchyan ‘escaped’ an examination by polygraph, while policemen ‘had successfully passed this psycho-physical test.’ The Russian party has responded that the scene had been thoroughly inspected; and no evidence of Demerchyan’s torture was found. It is noteworthy that the police station was examined only two days after the Demerchyan’s appeal to the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF)," Oleg Novikov has added.

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