Translated material
Overtaking is prohibited
Former policeman convicted of beating passerby to death sentenced
The Kuzminsky District Court of Moscow on Friday announced the verdict in the case of former Moscow police sergeant Anver Ibragimov, who last fall became the “hero” of another high-profile scandal in Russian law enforcement agencies. According to investigators, while walking off-duty with two colleagues, being drunk and in uniform, for no reason he beat to death 19-year-old native of Abkhazia Eduard Gurtskaya, who happened to meet him on the street.Ibragimov himself never admitted guilt, saying that he did not beat or kill anyone. But the court did not believe him, agreeing with the prosecution’s version, based on the testimony of witnesses to the incident. As a result, the former sergeant was sentenced to 15 years in a maximum security colony. In addition, the court decided to recover 1 million rubles from him. as compensation to the family of the deceased.
The tragedy took place on November 23 at about 10:30 p.m. near the Kuzminki metro station not far from the McDonald's restaurant, where that evening the paths of a visitor from Abkhazia, 19-year-old Eduard Gurtskaya, who was walking with his cousin 27-year-old David Jomidava, and three not “on duty” by employees of the 2nd operational regiment of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate - 22-year-old Anver Ibragimov, 22-year-old Alexey Chernikov and 26-year-old Viktor Kuznetsov.
As follows from the verdict, the participants in the incident did not know each other until that day, and, in fact, there was no conflict as such between them. As David Jomidava told the court, he and his brother were simply walking along the sidewalk and tried to get around three drunken people in police uniform. At that moment, according to the victim, one of the strangers grabbed Eduard by the sleeve, after which the reprisal began.
What exactly the policeman didn’t like—whether the young people simply overtook them, or maybe someone accidentally pushed him—remained unclear. One way or another, the investigation explained the further actions of the accused by “suddenly arising” hooligan impulses. As a result, according to the investigation, having stopped the brothers, the law enforcement officers, cursing, first surrounded them. Jomidava and Gurtskaya, frightened, tried to run away. According to the prosecution, Ibragimov chased after them and soon overtook Jomidava. According to the latter, the policeman first knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the face. Then the sergeant, as follows from the case materials, attacked Gurtskaya. According to eyewitnesses, Ibragimov struck him several times in the face, after which the man fell on his stomach on a metal fence. Then the sergeant, according to the prosecution, kicked the victim again in the back, essentially jumping on him. It was this blow that, apparently, became fatal - later experts recorded a fracture of the chest and ruptures of internal organs in Gurtskaya.
While the sergeant was beating Gurtskaya, two of his colleagues, according to investigators, were holding Jomidava, who was trying to help his brother. When the execution ended, the law enforcement officers calmly went to the metro and left.
Having wiped off the blood and dirt, the brothers headed towards the house, but after a few minutes Gurtskaya became ill, and his brother took him to the nearest pharmacy on Zelenodolskaya Street, whose employees called an ambulance and provided first aid. However, the efforts of the doctors were in vain, and the victim eventually died right on the floor of the pharmacy from internal hemorrhage. It later turned out that the next day after the tragedy the brothers were supposed to return to Abkhazia. Before this, Gurtskaya lived in the capital with relatives for about a year, working part-time on construction sites. According to his sister, that day he stopped by to say goodbye and went to the store to buy a bag for his things.
Almost immediately after the incident, three young men “in police pea coats” were put on the wanted list, and around midnight they were detained not far from the police hostel in the Vykhino metro area. It turned out that all three came to Moscow from the provinces, worked in the police for about a year and were undergoing training at the time of the tragedy.
Immediately after the arrest, everyone involved in the fight was dismissed from the police, and the commander of the 2nd operational regiment, Colonel Vladimir Domashev, was removed from office. Ibragimov was charged with abuse of office and causing grievous bodily harm. Two of his colleagues acted as witnesses for the prosecution during the investigation and trial, confirming the investigation’s version.
The defendant himself, however, did not admit guilt. “I have nothing to say, I didn’t beat or kill anyone,” Ibragimov said in his last word. According to his version, he was set up, and the victim died after another fight. The defendant’s lawyer, Magomed Kuraev, stated that the case materials should be sent for additional investigation, during which other versions of what happened should be checked. “Ibragimov was appointed as a last resort,” said the defense lawyer, asking the court to acquit the sergeant.
In turn, the prosecutor, citing the testimony of witnesses, asked to sentence Ibragimov to 16 and a half years in prison. The court ultimately took into account the positive characteristics of the defendant’s place of residence and work as mitigating circumstances and sentenced him to 15 years in a maximum security colony, as well as to pay compensation for moral damage to the family of the deceased in the amount of 1 million rubles. The verdict also noted that the victims did not provoke the fight and did not even resist the beating, since Ibragimov was in police uniform.
Speaking during the debate, the state prosecutor also said that the issue of canceling the decision to refuse to initiate criminal proceedings against Kuznetsov and Chernikov would be decided in the near future. Gurtskaya’s relatives insist on this, who believe that the sergeant’s colleagues actually acted as his accomplices.