Those arrested within Djabiev's case go on hunger strike

The law enforcers, arrested within the Inal Djabiev's death case, refuse to eat for five days and demand to meet South-Ossetian MPs and the Ombudsperson. They claim that investigators had failed to prove their guilt, the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) has stated today.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Inal Djabiev died in August 2020 after being interrogated by the police on the attempt on the life of the Minister of Internal Affairs; and Nikolai Tskhovrebov, who was detained with him, also complained about torture. In connection with Djabiev's death, eight policemen were detained and arrested; and Andrei Tskhovrebov, a deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was dismissed.

The criminal police officers suspected of abuse of office, which led to the death of Inal Djabiev, a resident of Tskhinvali, have gone on a hunger strike, the South-Ossetian GPO has stated today. "They justify their hunger strike by the fact that they are kept in custody unlawfully, unreasonably and without proofs, for the crime that they never committed," says the MIA's website.

The arrested persons' statements noted that one of the GPO's investigators, who had run Djabiev's case, asked the forensic expert to issue a forged certificate that his death was a result of multiple bodily injuries. According to the arrested law enforcers, this certificate served as the basis for their detention, and also provoked a socio-political crisis in the republic, while they became political prisoners, the MIA has informed.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 13, 2021 at 09:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.