The Investigative Committee of Russia announced the completion of the investigation into the criminal case of doctors of the Butyrka pre-trial detention center, who, according to the investigation, were guilty of the death of auditor Sergei Magnitsky. At the same time, the Investigative Committee began an investigation based on statements from the auditor’s relatives and public organizations who claimed that Mr. Magnitsky was subjected to torture during the investigation.

According to the official representative of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, the investigation into a separate criminal case against two employees of the pre-trial detention center has been completed.

As Kommersant has already reported, Larisa Litvinova, a laboratory assistant at the Butyrka detention center, was charged with causing death by negligence. In addition, the deputy head of the pre-trial detention center for treatment and preventive work, Dmitry Kratov, was charged with negligence.

Let us recall that Dmitry Kratov, who in November 2009, at the time of the death of Sergei Magnitsky in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center, held the position of deputy head of the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center (FBU IZ-77/2 UFSIN of Russia in Moscow) for treatment and preventive work, was charged with Part 2 Art. 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Negligence resulting in the death of a person through negligence”). And Larisa Litvinova, who in 2009 held the position of a laboratory doctor in the same pre-trial detention center, was charged under Part 2 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Causing death by negligence due to improper performance of one’s duties”).

In addition, Mr. Markin noted, the Investigative Committee has appointed an expert study that should establish whether Mr. Magnitsky was subjected to torture. Let us recall that both the auditor’s relatives and the management of the Hermitage Foundation insisted on this. “Taking into account the appeals of the victims and their representatives to the Investigative Committee, a decision was made to order an expert study within the framework of the criminal case currently under investigation by investigators into the death of Magnitsky,” said Vladimir Markin. According to him, “the investigation will have to find out whether the circumstances of Sergei Magnitsky’s detention in custody can be regarded as torture in the criminal legal meaning of the word.” Vladimir Markin noted that it is also necessary to further check the materials received in December 2011 from the Presidential Council for Human Rights with arguments from representatives of public organizations about the presence of signs of commission of official crimes against Sergei Magnitsky both during his criminal prosecution and on the day of his death in pre-trial detention center "Matrosskaya Tishina". A representative of the department said that in this regard, the period of investigation in the criminal case remaining in the investigation of the ICR investigators was extended until April 24, 2012.

Nikolay Sergeev

The doctors' case went to court