Public inquiry into August 2020 mass jail torture is out

A public inquiry into the mass torture in the Akrestsin jail, which took place on August 9-14, 2020, has seen the light of day. It was prepared by the human rights organization Legal Initiative.

Human rights activists collected 101 stories. The investigation took more than 1,000 pages.

As noted by human rights activists, on August 9-14, 2020, security forces put through more than 3,000 detainees through the 110-person isolation center for delinquents. Among them were minors, people of retirement age, people with disabilities, and random passersby.

The detainees were humiliated, severely beaten, and kept in overcrowded cells for two or more days without food or water. Both the jail personnel and riot police took part in the beatings.

Human rights activists established a chronology of events, identified the law enforcement officials involved in the torture, and provided a legal assessment of their actions.

As Euroradio previously reported, the Investigative Committee refused to launch a criminal case on the torture in the Akrestsin jail. "The means and methods chosen by the law enforcement officers were proportionate and were used with the intention of causing the least damage in the current situation," the IC said.

Statements on the unlawful actions of law enforcement officers were filed by 680 people who ended up in the Akrestsin jail on August 9-15, 2020.