Suspects in Boris Nemtsov's Murder, Russian Dissident, 'May Have Been Tortured'

A member of the Kremlin's Human Rights Advisory Council says that three suspects detained in connection with the murder of Boris Nemtsov, a leader of the Russian opposition, have likely been tortured in prison. According to Reuters on Wednesday, March 10, Andrei Babushkin said after visiting five Chechen suspects in Lefortovo prison in Moscow that some of these individuals, who were detained in connection with Nemtsov's murder, had multiple injuries. Boris Nemtsov was killed on February 27 near the Kremlin in the heart of Moscow. He is the most prominent critic of the Kremlin to be murdered during Vladimir Putin's 15-year presidency. Nemtsov's colleagues say that the investigation into this murder is a test for the rule of law in Russia. A Russian judge has stated that Zaur Dadayev, a former Chechen police officer, along with Anzor and Shagid Gubashev, his relatives, are in prison and have confessed to participating in this murder. Dadayev and Anzor Gubashev have officially been charged. Babushkin wrote on his website: 'There is strong evidence that Dadayev and the Gubashevs were tortured.' He added that Dadayev had 'multiple injuries' on his body while Anzor Gubashev had several abrasions around his neck, wrists, and legs that were inflicted after his arrest. Dadayev told Babushkin that he confessed to participating in the murder after Russian officials promised to release his friend Rustam Yusupov, who was arrested at the same time. The newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, whose reporter was present during Babushkin's visit to the prison, published Dadayev's statements, quoting him as saying: 'They said if I confess, they would let Yusupov go. I agreed. I thought they would release him and take me alive to Moscow.' Babushkin said Yusupov has gone missing. According to the newspaper, Anzor Gubashev also responded to a question about whether he had injuries and bruises on his wrists and legs, saying he had been beaten. The newspaper added that when Gubashev was asked, 'Did this beating happen when you entered the prison?' he replied, 'Yes.' His brother, Shagid, also said two police officers, whom he referred to as Mikhailovich and Petrovich, had beaten him. The investigation committee regarding Nemtsov's murder announced that Babushkin's and the Moskovsky Komsomolets reporter's questions were posed with the aim of disrupting the committee's work. The committee added that both individuals would be summoned for their actions to provide explanations. Babushkin urged the Kremlin's Human Rights Council to inform Putin of his findings and said law enforcement agencies should investigate the torture allegations. Nemtsov's advisors, who once served as deputy prime minister, believe that Russia's security apparatus is involved in his murder. They are skeptical about the investigation and believe that blaming Chechen Islamists is intended to absolve Putin, his close circle, and Russia's security services of responsibility for this murder. The Russian president condemned Nemtsov's murder and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Interfax news agency also reported on Wednesday that the head of the human rights group that Babushkin represented during his visit to Lefortovo prison said that after talking to the prisoners and reviewing their medical records, he still could not confirm their torture claims. The Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper also published images of a white four-door vehicle that is said to have been used by the suspects to flee the scene after shooting Nemtsov in the back four times. Russian investigators announced last week that they are examining the possibility that Islamists killed Nemtsov due to his defense of the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. After the publication of these cartoons, two armed Islamists attacked the magazine's office in Paris on January 7, killing 12 of its employees.