Daria Bagina, the girlfriend of Izhevsk activist Dmitry Morozov, said he was beaten and subjected to electric shocks after his detention in an effort to force him to confess to financing Ukraine and banned organizations.
According to Bagina, Morozov was shocked in the face, ribs and legs, suspended by his legs while handcuffed and had a bag placed over his head.
She also said Morozov was suffering from pain in his ribs and arms, difficulty breathing and signs of a concussion. OVD-Info reported that relatives, journalists and others attending the court hearing saw injuries on his face.
No independent medical report or findings from an official investigation confirming torture have been made public. The allegations therefore remain claims by Morozov and Bagina rather than an established finding of torture.
Morozov was detained on the evening of October 2. The following morning, Federal Security Service officers brought him to his home for a search.
Investigators say a package containing mephedrone was found in the apartment, forming the basis of a drug-possession case. Bagina alleges that officers themselves produced the package from one of the places they searched.
On October 5, a court ordered Morozov held in pretrial detention for two months.
Before his arrest, he had sought authorization for a rally over alleged violations in elections. His relatives link the criminal case to his civic activity, but that assertion has not been independently confirmed.