Beating of Andrey Sychyov
Andrei Sychev (Russian: Андрей Сергеевич Сычёв), also transliterated Sychyov or Sychov, born 1986, is a former Russian soldier who served in an armored forces academy in Chelyabinsk, Russia. He was tortured by at least four fellow soldiers and a sergeant on December 31, 2005. This case caused public opinion in Russia and especially NGOs like the Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia (CSMR) to blame the current administration, in particular Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov, for tolerating the practice of dedovshchina, an organized system of hazing, inside the military ranks.
On 31 Dec. 2005, Sychev and another seven soldiers were beaten for three hours by their seniors. Sychev, then aged 19, was forced to squat for 4 hours with his hands tied behind his back while a sergeant beat him. On the 4th of January, Sychev attempted to receive medical attention, but was not successful. Only a few days later, due to the worsening of his health, he was transferred to the city hospital, where he was diagnosed with numerous broken bones, trauma to the genital area and gangrene of the legs
There are allegations that the military attempted to keep the case from the media and ordered the doctors to keep silent; however, one of the doctors treating Sychev contacted Ludmila Zinchenko, the president of the Committee of Soldier’s Mothers, which, in turn, contacted Sychev’s mother, Galina Pavlovna Sycheva.
Sychev’s mother’s last contact with her son was on the 3rd of January, when she called to congratulate him with the New Year. On the phone, he told her that he wasn’t doing well and was about to be taken to a hospital. Once she received the news of the transfer, she attempted to contact her son at the hospital but was told that, due to the holidays, nobody would attend to her son until the 10th. On January 7th, however, she was contacted by a surgeon that told her to come quickly, as her son might not survive until the next day.
As a result of gangrene in the legs, which is a reduced blood flow, and lack of timely medical attention, doctors had to amputate both his legs, genitalia, and a finger.
Officer Aleksander Sivyakov was found guilty of the torture and was sentenced to 4 years in prison, along with an additional 3 years ban from the army and loss of military rank. Pavel Kuz’menko and Gannady Bilimovych were also found guilty and sentenced to 1 years probationary sentence.
When questioned, the Defense Minister disregarded these claims at first, but was forced to take action shortly thereafter. Allegations appeared in the media during the trial, claiming that an FSB agent unsuccessfully tried to bribe the mother of Andrei Sychev to drop the case in return for monetary assistance.
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