Forensic experts getting more cautious in case of death in Svetlahorsk detention centre

Forensic expert committee did not once again "assume" that the detainee Aliaksandr Akulich could inflict himself numerous bodily injures, registered during the examination of the corpse.

This is stated in the conclusions on the results of a new examination carried out at the insistence of his mother. Mr. Akulich died in the detention centre of the Svetlahrsk District Police Departmetn as a result of an inhuman treatment of the detainee by the police officers Bachko and Stseshankou.

Trying to achieving an objective investigation into his death, in December 2014 Valiantsina Akulich filed an appeal with the Svetlahorsk District Prosecutor's Office against the ruling of the investigator of the Svetlahorsk District Investigative Committee Viachaslau Petrachenka to deny her in instigation of criminal proceedings on the fact of her son's death. Among other things, in this appeal the woman pointed to the need for investigative experiments with the aim to determine whether the bodily injuries, found on the corpse, be inflicted by elements of the interior of the detention centre, as far as the previous conclusion of the forensic experts contained such opinion.

The mother was informed about it by the ruling of investigator Petrachenka of December 3, 2014, quoting the forensic conclusion No. 169 of May 20, 2013: “The aforementioned bodily injuries have similar morphological characteristics (state of the bottom of wounds, colour of bruises), and formed shortly (from several minutes to several hours) before the death,from blunt objects. They have features of light bodily injuries and have no direct causal connection with the death. All aforementioned bodily injuries could not form after a single fall on a plain surface. However, the forensic expert commission assumes that they could occur as a result of repeated falls of the body “... from its own height on a firm plain surface (concrete or wooden floor) or ribbed surface (pieces of furniture)."

However, the new conclusion of the forensic commission (No. 623 of January 16, 2015) of the Department for complex forensic examinations, doesn't mention the opinion of the previous experts: “Given the nature of all bodily injurires, registered on the corpse of A. Akulich, their localization in various anatomic areas of the body, their formation from a single fall from a standing position, with
a collision with a flat surface is impossible.”

Now Valiantsina Akulich and “Viasna” activists are waiting for the ruling on the results of another inspection.