Police in Tatarstan sent to prison for torturing a man who then killed himself

A court in Tatarstan has sentenced five police officers to several years in prison for torturing a 22-year-old man in October 2017. According to the human rights project “Zona Prava,” the precinct head received a nine-year sentence and four criminal investigators were sent to prison for between six and 11 years. A sixth suspect remains at large and wanted by the authorities.

The officers were convicted of torturing Ilnaz Pirkin into falsely confessing to a crime spree of 47 thefts. Pirkin later killed himself, leaving behind a video where he described how he was tortured. Before they were themselves prosecuted, the officers then tortured another three people, forcing two of them to claim responsibility for Pirkin’s suicide.