Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced that it had created a special unit to investigate crimes allegedly committed by police.
The committee's decision to form the unit follows a spate of reports of police torture in the country's police stations and detention centers.
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was forced to report to parliament last week about a spike in reported police violence and other abuses.
The new unit's investigators will be working closely with Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel.
Reported police torture has been a problem in Russia for years but concerns resurfaced following the death in March of a 52-year-old man in the central city of Kazan, who was beaten and raped with a champagne bottle while in custody.
The committee's decision to form the unit follows a spate of reports of police torture in the country's police stations and detention centers.
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev was forced to report to parliament last week about a spike in reported police violence and other abuses.
The new unit's investigators will be working closely with Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel.
Reported police torture has been a problem in Russia for years but concerns resurfaced following the death in March of a 52-year-old man in the central city of Kazan, who was beaten and raped with a champagne bottle while in custody.