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It was the worst attack on Russian soil in two decades: On Friday, four IS terrorists indiscriminately shot more than 135 people in a concert hall in Moscow. The four suspected perpetrators appeared in court on Sunday evening with serious injuries. The men had severely swollen faces, cuts and bruises. One of the suspects is said to have briefly lost consciousness. The Kremlin was subsequently accused of torture by several human rights organizations.
Because: Even before the court hearing, videos circulated online in which one of the perpetrators allegedly had his ear cut off by the security forces. Observers think that the Kremlin wants to convey a targeted message with the gruesome images.
Putin wants to divert attention from his own mistakes
Leonid Volkov, a confidant of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny († 47), who recently died in a prison camp, was convinced that the recordings had been published on instructions from above. By demonstrating its own brutality, the regime would divert attention from its own intelligence failures, Volkov writes on Telegram.
He further explains: “This public display is new.” This strategy is intended to cover up errors that occurred before the attack.
Russia expert Jäger: “The power apparatus dropped its cover”
Russia expert Professor Thomas Jäger told ‘Bild’: ‘Putin shows: for me there is no limit to evil.’ Normally, Russia’s leaders would be careful to maintain the appearance of law and order to the outside world. However, this time it is different. “The power apparatus drops its cover,” says Jäger.
However, the Kremlin does not publicly comment on the suspects’ signs of torture. A CNN journalist confronted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about the torture allegations. “I leave this question unanswered,” Peskov replied, according to Russian media, when asked to comment on the prisoners’ torture marks.
Russian human rights organizations expressed concern over alleged torture by security forces: “The response to barbarity should not be barbarity,” the Russian association “Komanda protiw pytok” (German: Team against torture) said on Monday. The use of torture against prisoners and accused persons is unacceptable, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said. “Despite the fact that the detention of criminals can be very serious and criminal law provides that actions during detention related to causing harm do not give rise to liability, the use of torture against detainees and defendants is completely “unacceptable,” said the commissioner.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
