Suspects
in Nemtsov killing probably tortured: Russian rights activist
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[March 11, 2015]
By Gabriela Baczynska
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three suspects in the
killing of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov have probably been
tortured while in detention, a member of the Kremlin's advisory council
on human rights said on Wednesday.
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After visiting three of the five ethnic Chechen suspects at
Moscow's Lefortovo prison, rights activist Andrey Babushkin said the
men detained over the Feb. 27 murder had suffered multiple injuries.
Nemtsov was the most prominent of a string of Kremlin critics to be
killed during President Vladimir Putin's 15-year rule. The brazen
murder in the heart of Moscow has shocked his colleagues and
supporters, who say the investigation is a test of the rule of law
in Russia.
Aides to the late liberal politician suspect Russia's state security
apparatus is complicit in the crime. Putin has condemned the killing
and vowed to bring its perpetrators to justice.
Officials say former Chechen policeman Zaur Dadayev, who is being
held along with his cousins, Anzor and Shagid Gubashev, has admitted
involvement in the murder. Dadayev and Anzor Gubashev have been
formally charged.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Mar/11/images/ads/current/best_friends_sda_010515.png) "There are reasonable grounds to believe that Dadayev and the
Gubashevs were tortured," Babushkin wrote on his website.
He said Dadayev had "multiple injuries" visible on his body, while
Anzor Gubashev had abrasions around his nose, wrists and legs that
were incurred after he was detained.
Dadayev served as deputy commander of Chechnya's "North" Battalion,
which falls under the regional interior ministry. He has been
awarded Russia's state order for courage for his service in
Chechnya, a volatile North Caucasus region where Russian troops have
fought two wars against separatists.
According to Babushkin's account, Dadayev said he was "kidnapped" on
March 5 while arriving to the North Caucasus region of Ingushetia
from nearby Dagestan.
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Dadayev's friend and former colleague Rustam Yusupov was present
when he was detained, Babushkin wrote, adding that the man had since
disappeared.
Dadayev had been promised that if he admitted to murdering Nemtsov,
Yusupov would be released, Babushkin said.
Babushkin called on the human rights council to inform Putin of his
findings and said law enforcement agencies should investigate the
torture allegations.
Allies of the late Nemtsov are scornful of the state investigation
and say blaming the killing on Chechen Islamists is only aimed at
deflecting suspicion from Putin, his inner circle or the security
services.
(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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