Human rights activists revealed details of the beating of Ibrahim Tochiev.

Law enforcement officers who conducted a search in the home of Ingush resident Ibrahim Tochiev inflicted dozens of blows to his head and body; the Investigative Committee is conducting a check based on his appeal, human rights activists reported. Publicly, the head of the Investigative Committee did not respond to Tochiev's appeal.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", Ingush resident Ibrahim Tochiev, who was suing the authorities over his house, recorded a video appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin, complaining about the law enforcement officers who beat him and his brother during a search of their home.

Details of the beating of Ibrahim Tochiev by law enforcement officers, who came in late July to search his home, were revealed today by the "Team Against Torture"*. The man was beaten in the presence of numerous relatives; a video surveillance system is installed in the Tochievs' yard, but the law enforcement officers took the flash drives from it with them.

The beating began after Tochiev asked the investigator to identify himself - he ignored Ibrahim's words and "silently walked past". The beating started at the house and continued on the way to the service vehicle.

"Immediately after this moment, someone from the officers struck me from behind with two consecutive blows below the back of the head while I continued to stand facing the wall and was held on both sides (...) I was walking voluntarily, but several officers, I don't know and didn't see who exactly, struck me in the head, kidneys, and lower back - a total of about 10-12 blows," he is quoted as saying by KP*. Ibrahim's hands were restrained with plastic ties.

After the beating, Tochiev, on whom law enforcement officers drew up a protocol for disobeying lawful police orders, spent a day in the police station, where he had previously complained about the officers. The head of the department, according to Ibrahim, raised his voice at him, threatening to "put him and his brother Tamerlan in jail" because Tochiev was writing complaints about local police officers and judges.

"The next day, the judge issued a ruling to return the material due to lack of evidence of an offense. After several court hearings, on July 10, the court found him guilty of disobeying police officers," the organization's message notes. Only after his release was Ibrahim able to go to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and bruises.

According to human rights activists, the Investigative Committee is currently conducting a check based on Ibrahim Tochiev's complaint. However, in the official Telegram channel of the Investigative Committee, which reports daily on Alexander Bastrykin's responses to public appeals to him, there is currently no message about the check based on Tochiev's complaint.

Reports of the unjustified use of force by law enforcement officers regularly come from Ingushetia: for example, in February, three police officers were arrested for unjustifiably detaining a driver in Nazran and beating him several times, after which the man required medical assistance.

In October 2023, four police officers from Malgobek were detained and arrested on suspicion of exceeding their authority with the use of violence. According to the investigation, they unjustifiably detained a 31-year-old man and beat him, demanding that he confess to illegal drug trafficking. They are also accused of extorting money and the rights to the man's apartment. Responsibility for the use of prohibited methods of investigation is rarely imposed on law enforcement officers, noted human rights activists interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" at that time.

* included in the register of foreign agents.

** the activities of the Meta company (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.