Translated material
Prosecutor's diagnosis
Prosecutors did not believe in the illness of Private Sychev
The military prosecutor's office considers junior sergeant Alexander Sivyakov guilty of beating Andrei Sychev. This conclusion is contained in the indictment, the reading of which began yesterday in the Chelyabinsk Garrison Military Court. So far this is the main news of the high-profile trial - despite attempts to explain what happened in January at the Chelyabinsk school with Sychev’s congenital disease, the prosecutor’s office still assesses it as hazing.Let us remind you that during the New Year holidays, old-timers at the Chelyabinsk Tank School mocked conscript soldiers for several hours. Conscript from the Sverdlovsk region Andrey Sychev suffered more than others. A few days later, the young man was hospitalized, and later transferred to a civilian hospital. Doctors discovered he had blood poisoning and, to save his life, amputated his legs and other vital organs. Since spring, the Sverdlovsk resident has been undergoing treatment at the Moscow hospital named after. Burdenko. All this time there was active debate in the media. At first, journalists described the horrors of hazing, but as soon as the materials began to spoil the image of Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, information appeared about Andrei Sychev’s congenital disease, which allegedly caused gangrene.
On Tuesday, the Chelyabinsk Garrison Court resumed hearings in the case of Andrei Sychev. Junior Sergeant Alexander Sivyakov appeared in the dock and renounced his previous testimony, in which he partially admitted guilt. Now he maintains his complete innocence. Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office accuses him of five counts and classifies the sergeant's actions in January as falling under Part 3 of Art. 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (exceeding official powers with the use of violence or the threat of its use).
Despite initial guarantees of an open trial, the court imposed restrictions on the number of journalists. The chairman of the garrison court, Yuri Shatsky, who heads the group of judges in this case, explains this by the unpreparedness of the premises. The halls simply cannot accommodate everyone - in addition to journalists, the process is monitored by the parents of soldiers serving in the tank school now. All of them were denied access to the meetings - only representatives of the federal and largest Chelyabinsk media were allowed into the hall. Another restriction on the work of journalists was introduced at the request of the defendant's lawyers - they asked not to allow photographers and cameramen into the hall. The court granted this request and began reading the 88-page indictment. It was compiled on the basis of the testimony of soldiers from the school, who were also in the barracks on New Year's Day.
According to the prosecutor's office, on the night of January 1, 2006, at 3:30 a.m., Alexander Sivyakov, while intoxicated, forced Andrei Sychev to squat with emphasis on his toes. The private remained in this state for three hours. He was allowed to get up only towards the morning, when the officers were supposed to appear in the barracks. At the same time, the investigation emphasizes that already in the morning the junior sergeant kicked his victim in the shin several times. The prosecutor's office considers these abuses to be the cause of gangrene, which led to the amputation of the private's legs.
To read the conclusion, video equipment was installed in the courtroom - some of the conclusions are based on the testimony of Andrei Sychev. At the moment he is not transportable and therefore describes what happened to him on a video camera. During the reading of the conclusion, an unexpected break was announced - Sychev's mother, who decided to take part in the hearing, became ill, and the judges were forced to call a doctor. After Galina Sycheva’s condition returned to normal, the announcement of the prosecutor’s conclusion continued. It is noteworthy that Alexander Sivyakov’s lawyer, Alexander Petrov, called all the charges far-fetched and unproven. It is worth noting that the testimony of the junior sergeant was removed from the report because he refused it. Today the court will consider the petition of Mr. Sivyakov’s lawyers, asking to change the preventive measure for their client from arrest to a more lenient one. The process will continue on Thursday.