SK began checking on information about the torture of Jehovah's Witnesses in Surgut

The Investigative Committee began a preliminary investigation on information about the torture of the detained "Jehovah's Witnesses" in Surgut, Interfax reports .

“We still have no official statements about torture. But, given the excitement that rose after the publication of this information in the media, it was decided to conduct a pre-investigation check, ”said Oleg Menshik, assistant to the head of the IC Department of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District.

SK employees will interview their colleagues who worked with the detainees and the believers themselves.

On the eve of February 21, the SK completely denied the fact of the torture of the detainees. “No statements have been received to us. What torture can be? They were taken to the department, there were many people there, the conversations were recorded on the video camera. All within the law. This, apparently, is the position of the lawyers that they chose to protect, ” said the representative of the department of RIA Novosti.

The Commissioner for Human Rights in the region, Natalya Strebkova, also promises to check information about torture. At first she said that she contacted the prosecutor’s office and the UK, but she did not receive confirmations from them. “If someone has information, I can immediately inform me, and I will react. In places of imprisonment, there is all the information on how prisoners can contact me, ” URA.RU quoted her.

She then told Znak.com that she had received appeals in connection with the detention of Jehovists. “It is known that three detained persons, presumably, injured, is now in the isolator. On Monday, I will be in Surgut and will certainly meet with them, ”the Ombudsman promised.

Later, lawyer Dmitry Kolobov specified Mediazone that two of the six who told about torture Artem Kim and Evgeny Kayryak filed a statement of what happened. Kim turned to the prosecutor’s office, Kayryak - to the police. According to the defender, for other published certificates of torture, the security forces are also required to conduct a check.

Jehovah's mass detention took place in Surgut on February 15. Most later released the majority, and three people were sent in a pre-trial detention center in the case of the activities of a religious organization prohibited by the court (Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code)-in the spring of 2017, “Jehovah's Witnesses” were banned in Russia, recognizing them with an extremist organization.

Then believers said that some of their co -religionists talked about torture in which investigators and operatives participated. "Mediazona" published fragments of lawyer polls of the victims about current torture.

Updated at 17:30. The news is supplemented by the commentary of the lawyer.