The ECHR awarded 98 thousand euros to the relatives of a Dagestani man who died after being beaten by the police for having a long beard

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled to pay up to 80 thousand euros to the relatives of Dagestan resident Marat Satybalov, who died after being beaten by security forces. This is reported in the court decision. The interests of the victims were represented by the Legal Initiative.

As stated in the document, on May 2, 2010, Satybalov and six of his friends were driving to a barbecue in two cars. Near the village of Dylym, they stopped to go to a pharmacy to buy painkillers for one of their friends. Satybalov was waiting for his friend in the car. The pharmacist thought that one of the visitors looked suspicious because of his long beard, and called the police. The pharmacist probably decided that the visitors were .

At the exit from the pharmacy, a police UAZ was waiting for the company. The security forces grabbed Satybalov by the beard and pulled him out of the car, like his other friends. The company was taken to the police department, where they were beaten with fists, feet and rifle butts. They were then taken inside and asked why they had such long beards.

Major A.S. pulled Satybalov's beard, beat him and asked about his beard. He filmed the beating of three men on his phone and insulted them. Four friends from another car began to look for their comrades. They were also taken into the yard and beaten. A relative of one of the beaten people, who worked in the police, came to the police department. He talked to his colleagues, and the four friends from the second car were released. Satybalov and two others were sent to a cell at the station, where they were not given food or water.

The next day, the friends were forced to pay an administrative fine of 500 rubles.

In the evening of the same day, Satybalov was taken for an x-ray to the Khasavyurt hospital. The doctor replied that he had no fractures, gave him several tablets and sent him home. Friends carried the victim home, relatives noted that Satybalov was severely wounded: he could not get up, his entire body and head were covered with hematomas, abrasions and bruises, and part of his beard was torn out. He couldn't breathe properly.

Three days later, on May 6, Satybalov was taken to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. According to doctors, he lost a lot of blood due to internal bleeding after the beating. On the evening of May 6, doctors reported that Satybalov was in critical condition - his lungs were punctured, his ribs were broken, his heart and arteries were damaged. In addition, his kidneys stopped working. On May 7, the victim died in hospital.

At the same time, about 600 residents of the Kazbekovsky district of Dagestan blocked the Rostov-Baku road, demanding that the police be held accountable.

The court found that Articles 2,3,5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to life, right to freedom from torture, right to personal integrity) were violated in relation to the beaten man. The ECHR ruled to pay 10 thousand euros to Satybalov’s wife Luiza, 8 thousand euros to Taisa Nartyayeva’s mother and 80 thousand euros to the two of them and sister Madina. In addition, the Russian authorities will have to pay 2.5 thousand euros in legal costs.