Russian tourists pelt Abkhaz Supreme Court judge with stones
Russian tourists pelt Abkhaz Supreme Court judge
In Abkhazia, Russian tourists pelted a Supreme Court judge with stones. A criminal case was opened only several days later, and only after public pressure.
The incident took place in Sukhum on the evening of 20 September. According to official information, two Russian nationals, Yury Chudin and Sergey Bessonov, became involved in an altercation with a local woman in the street, threatened to kill her and then threw stones at her.
The woman was taken to hospital with a closed head injury, a laceration and bruising to her eyelid, and a haematoma.
The victim was later identified as a judge of the Supreme Court of Abkhazia, although neither investigators nor the media have named her. The cause of the altercation also remains unknown.
The incident was included in the official police report only after the Telegram channel Aiashara reported it a day later. The channel highlighted the fact that no criminal case had been opened, prompting a strong reaction on social media.
It was only after this that, on 23 September, the investigative department of the Sukhum police classified the attack on the judge as a criminal offence. Initially, the actions of the two Russian tourists had been treated as an administrative offence. Chudin and Bessonov refused to undergo medical tests for drug and psychotropic substance use, and a court subsequently sentenced them to 15 days in administrative detention.
The case has been transferred from the police to the Sukhum prosecutor’s office for further investigation. The ruling states that the decision was made in view of the public attention surrounding the case and the status of the victim.
The terminology, place names and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this website.
