Rights defenders achieve check of Kuban pensioner's claim of torture

Investigators have refused five times to consider the application lodged by Victor Krasnoborodko, a resident of the village of Novorozhdestvenskaya, Krasnodar Territory (also known as Kuban by the name of the main river) about torture, during which law enforcers obtained from a pensioner a confession of beating up his stepson. However, human rights defenders have reported that they managed to achieve a new check of law enforcers' actions.

The case of the 60-year-old Victor Krasnoborodko, who, under torture, had incriminated himself in the murder of his 38-year-old stepson Andrei, is being considered in at Tikhoretsk City Court. According to law enforcers, the pensioner had beaten his stepson to death "due to hostile relations."

An activist of the "Team Against Torture" (TaT)* said that, according to Krasnoborodko, policemen hung him up to a crowbar, and tortured him with a stun gun and electric shock, but no criminal case was initiated against them. Moreover, these policemen helped in the inquiry of the case opened against Krasnoborodko.

The activist has noted that Victor's application is now being considered again.

Alevtina, Victor Krasnoborodko's daughter, disbelieve in her father's guilt. "My father is a strict and fair person ... Not a single member of our family believes the investigators' version that he could have beaten Andrei to death," she has stated.

According to her version, her stepbrother was a strong and athletic man; and there was never any hostile relationship between father and brother.

Galina Krasnoborodko, the mother of the deceased and Victor's wife, has stated that her son, in response to her request to name those who had beaten him up, gave two names. According to her version, these men "were heavy drinkers and dealt in drugs." Galina has emphasized that one of the men was jealous due to her son's meetings with the woman he liked. "I immediately thought that the motive could be jealousy towards her," she has noted, adding that the family, with the support of human rights defenders, intends to fight for Victor's release, but fears for his health, since he has his heart problems.

*The "Team against Torture" (TaT, formerly the "Committee against Torture" – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.