Anti-extremism police officer in Russia’s North Caucasian Federal District faces criminal case after allegedly torturing a man

Anti-extremism police in Russia’s North Caucasian Federal District decided to torture the wrong man recently, and now at least one officer has been charged with abusing his authority. Federal investigators revealed on September 4 that they’ve opened a case against Rustam Zhiletezhev, following a complaint filed by someone living in Karachay-Cherkessia, who says he was tortured into giving false testimony. Medics later recorded bruising and evidence of electroshock on the victim’s body. According to the Telegram channel Mash, the victim was Guzer Khashukaev, the former director of the company “Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Cherkessk.”

Is this kind of thing rare?

Lately, there’s been a slew of criminal cases filed against abusive law enforcement and prison guards. For example, investigators have pressed charges against staff at prisons in the Zabaykalsky Krai and in Yaroslavl, where video footage of one inmate’s torture leaked in July, sparking the authorities’ current nationwide crackdown.

Meduza recently compiled a list of all reported torture cases in Russia this year, finding more than 50 reported before mid-August. While officials are prosecuting dozens of cases, however, many remain un-investigated and ignored.