Mother reports about health state of Krasnodar resident Manchenko, beaten by law enforcers

Yevgeny Manchenko, a man with disability, got a serious leg injury after being beaten by law enforcers, and the injury prevents him from normal walking, claims his mother Snezhana Manchenko. In the Krasnodar Territory, this is the first time when lawyers of the “Team Against Torture”* have encountered such situation, when the case is being transferred from court to court.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on July 21, 2023, the Krasnodar Territorial Court acquitted Vladimir Tatarkov and Vyacheslav Zyabkin, former inspectors of the patrol-and post police service, in the case on beating Yevgeny Manchenko. Both law enforcers got the right to rehabilitation for “illegal criminal prosecution.” On June 14, the Court of Cassation returned the case on beating to the Krasnodar Territorial Court for the third time.

The law enforcers and their advocates are trying to present the case as if Yevgeny Manchenko was himself to blame in March 2019 for trying to escape, falling, and breaking his bone, the victim’s mother says.

According to the woman’s version, as a result of the beating, her son got an incurable injury, which will affect the life quality for the rest of his life. The young man, due to his predominantly sedentary lifestyle, has gained a lot of weight, which affects his vital functions.

The law enforcers claim that they were targeting a thief similar to Yevgeny Manchenko. According to their version, the young man himself fell from the fence and broke his leg, and they handcuffed him so that he would not get hurt, since he was waving his arms and foam was coming out of his mouth.

A lawyer from the “Team Against Torture”* human rights project noted that the defendants changed their testimonies. He has also noted that the lawyers of the “Team Against Torture”* for the first time in their practice encounter in the Krasnodar Territory that the case is permanently “being thrown” from the district court to the court of appeal, then to the court of cassation, and back.

*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.