Nalchik resident Timur Zhambekov claims he was tortured by security forces in 2017 and subsequently convicted of a crime he confessed to under duress. The "Team Against Torture" notes that since then, the Investigative Committee has refused to open a criminal case for torture 34 times.
Zhambekov claims he was beaten at the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Internal Affairs and forced to confess to theft. He claims he received approximately 30 blows to the head and over a hundred blows to the body. A medical examination confirmed bodily injuries, including a broken rib.
Despite this, and an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in 2021, no investigation into the torture has been conducted. Zhambekov has already served a five-year prison sentence, and the necessary investigations into his case have not been completed.
