Four policemen have been fired for beating and torturing a detainee in Voronezh, a news report said Friday.
The sackings relate to an investigation into a fire that broke out in a shop in Voronezh, about 450 kilometers south of Moscow, on Sept. 8, 2012, Interfax reported.
A local resident was taken into custody and then beaten by four police officers, among them the deputy police chief for the district, who demanded that he admit to having started the fire, the Voronezh branch of the Investigative Committee said.
The victim was subjected to multiple blows, needles were inserted beneath his fingernails and an awl, a sharp instrument used for unpicking thread, was repeatedly stabbed into the palms of his hands.
During the process, the 60-year-old father of the shop owner arrived at the police station and "helped" the officers, joining in the beatings.
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