Mother of Ihar Ptsichkin killed in remand prison prohibited to speak about her son’s death

Zhana Ptsichkina was warned about a prohibition to tell anyone about results of the inquest into the death of her son’s death.

The mother of Ihar Ptsichkin was invited to the city department of the Investigative Committee for examination of the case opened after the death of her son in the remand prison of Minsk. Along with that, she received a letter from investigators, warning that she does not have a right to reveal the results of investigation to anyone except her lawyer, Radio Svaboda informs.

“In accordance with the procedure established by the law you are warned about inadmissibility of divulgence of information on the preliminary investigation. At the same time, the law does not prohibit to discuss the results of investigation known to you with your representative (lawyer),” the letter from the head of the Investigative Committee’s city department Vadzim Hrits to Zhana Ptsichkina reads.

She believes that after she would be familiarized with the materials of the case, which is required by the law, as she is had been recognized an injured party, the case would be closed and deposited in the archives. However, the woman is not going to stop her attempts to challenge the results of the preliminary examination, as she disagrees with them.

“As before, I am going to prove that her son was not a drug addict, and much less a drug dealer. And I am going to press for his murderers to be found. As according to investigators he died himself, as he could not take a drug. And allegedly no one is to blame for his death. With the help of my lawyer I have written a complaint, that my son’s dignity was humiliated after the death, and I am even prohibited to talk about that and to defend him. And what about am I prohibited to talk? Am I prohibited to reveal that none of examinations found presence of drugs in his body? And that forensic surgeons said he had been doing drugs allegedly, according to evidence of his friends and his own, but could forensic surgeons arrive at conclusions using people’s evidence?” Zhana Ptsichkina said.

We remind that Ihar Ptsichkin, a dweller of Minsk, died in Minsk remand prison in August 2013, while he was serving the 3 months’ term for driving without driver’s licence.

First the family was told that Ptsichkin died of a heart disease, but his mother didn’t agree with that, referring to the traces of battery on the body of her son. She had successfully insisted on opening investigation of the death in the remand prison. Relatives of Ihar Ptsichkin believe that he could have beaten to death by prison guards.

Later exhumation of Ihar Ptsichkin’s body was carried out. Zhana Ptsichkina knows from its results that experts didn’t find traces of drugs in his body, however the reason of the young man’s death by cardiac arrest was not established.

However, investigators stated that Irah Ptsichkin did drugs before detention, and he also was a drug dealer, and a criminal case had been opened in this connection. The Investigative Committee informed about that at the corporate website. It was also reported that as a result a medical officer of the remand prison was vindicated. Previously he was suspected of failure to assist the deceased person.

According to the available information, testimony of more than 100 persons is involved in the case of Ihar Ptsichkin’s death, including several dozens of officers of Minsk remand prison. Ihar Ptsichkin’s mother says that over the period of investigation no one of the staffers of the remand prison was suspended from duty, and she refers to information of the Investigative Committee.

“So how could their testimony be trusted?” Zhana Ptsichkina asks resonably.