A Kirov district court in Ufa ruled on 3 October to reject a joint lawsuit brought by Stanislav Markelov on behalf of victims of violent police raids that took place in Blagoveschensk in December 2004, an RFE/RL Ufa correspondent reported the same day. Markelov previously sued local police for illegally imprisoning 329 local residents who were forcibly brought to the drunk tank. The judge said the investigation in connection with Blagoveschensk has already been closed.

Markelov reportedly intends to take the case to the European Court for Human Rights, which he can only do after he exhausts all levels of appeal within Russia. He said his case represents potential grounds for altering general police detention procedures in Russia.

Compiled by Iskender Nurmi

Source: Radio free Europe/Radio Liberty, 4 October 2005