A detainee escort officer has been accused of severely beating one of the defendants in the so-called Bolotnaya case following Monday's sentencing at a Moscow court.
Alexei Polikhovich was among seven defendants handed prison terms for allegedly participating in riots and attacking policemen at an anti-Putin rally on Moscow's Bolontaya Ploshchad on May 6, 2012. An eighth defendant was given a suspended sentence.
Lawyer Pavel Shaposhnikov told Lenta.ru on Wednesday that Polikhovich was not given a written copy of the sentence despite having signed a document to say that he had received one.
When he demanded a copy, an escort officer kicked him in the knee before punching him in the head and neck until he lost consciousness, Shaposhnikov said.
Shaposhnikov visited Polikhovich in prison and said that he had sustained extensive bruising to his leg in the reported attack.
Polikhovich's father also said that his son was beaten by escort officers on Monday, Novaya Gazeta reported.
Polikhovich's lawyer, Olga Grigorenko, said that she plans to visit her client on Friday and that no official statement will be provided before then.
