Believers in Surgut appealed to the hotline of the TFR on the fact of torture

On February 16, 2019, the hotline of the Investigative Committee of Russia (TFR) received an appeal with a request to take measures to the investigator of the Surgut Department of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra Dmitry Leonidovich Asmolov in connection with reports of torture occurring on the first floor of the building of the Investigative Committee of Russia on Ostrovsky Street, 47, in Surgut in between his interrogations.

On February 15 and 16, 2019, at least 7 peaceful Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured — electric shocks, strangulation to the point of unconsciousness, and sophisticated beatings. After the torture, the investigators forced them to answer the questions: "Where do the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses take place? Who comes to the meetings? What are the names of the elders? What's the password on your phone?"

According to believers, torture was used in between interrogations conducted by the following investigators: investigator for especially important cases of the Investigative Committee for the city of Surgut of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra Tkach Stepan Vladimirovich, investigator of the Surgut Department of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra Asmolov Dmitry Leonidovich, investigator Bogodelov Sergey Alekseevich. After the torture, the investigators helped the believers to come to their senses, offered water, paper handkerchiefs and gently reproached the believers for bringing themselves to "trouble" with their taciturnity.

Those of the believers who were released recorded bodily injuries and appealed to the supervisory authorities, including the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, outlining the circumstances of the incident.

After the hotline received a message about the torture of 57-year-old Sergey Loginov, he was immediately released, but after that he was again detained and under torture forced to write an explanation that no one had tortured him. After that, he was not allowed to go home. It is not known what is now in the pre-trial detention center with him, as well as with two other arrested - 42-year-old Yevgeny Fedin and 52-year-old Artur Severinchik.