News

Today, the Voronezh Regional Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened an investigation into non-discharge by functionaries of the Voronezh Regional Public Educational Institution “Gorozhansky Cossack Cadet Corps” of their duties, under Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code of Russia (neglect of duty).

In addition, the Regional Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia initiated in the Prosecutor’s Office the issue of withdrawal of the materials on the beating of minors from the police and their referral to the Committee due to the public attention to the accident and the nature and complexity level of investigative activities. The initiative was satisfied - the case materials were referred to the Major Crimes Investigations Department of the Directorate for further investigation to be held and for a procedural decision to be made.

Preliminary data show that, in October 2018, a 13-year-old student of the cadet corps beat his peer. A video of the accident shot with a mobile device camera was brought to attention of media.

It was also established that the minor had previously beaten another boy in May 2018. However, even back then the functionaries of the cadet corps had failed to prevent the offence and covered them without reporting to law enforcement authorities, which entailed another offence committed by the 13-year-old.

Investigators of the Investigative Committee of Russia immediately arranged an examination of the scene. They question the minors and their legal representatives, as well as the staff of the educational institution; study the required documents; continue to conduct the set of activities aimed to establish all the circumstances of the accident and to gather and prove the evidence. The family environment and relations of all the participants will be examined; it will be established whether the children’s families were in a socially dangerous conditions and whether the attacker had been expressing rage before. A special attention and a legal assessment will be given to actions (inaction) of the related services in charge of minors’ deviant behaviour prevention, including the Juvenile Affairs Commission and Juvenile Affairs Departments. The criminal investigation is ongoing.