23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

OMON-member Sergei Lapin sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for torturing Zelimkhan Murdalov ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 15382]

"In March a court in the Chechen capital, Grozny, found Sergei Lapin, a member of a special federal police unit (OMON), guilty of torturing Zelimkhan Murdalov, and sentenced him to 11 years’ imprisonment. Zelimkhan Murdalov had been detained by police officers in Grozny in January 2001 and subsequently “disappeared”. In November a criminal case was opened against the OMON unit commander and his deputy who were implicated in Zelimkhan Murdalov’s torture and “disappearance”, together with Sergei Lapin. The whereabouts and fate of Zelimkhan Murdalov remained unknown."

Document(s): Open document

28.12.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Parliamentary commission investigating Beslan hostage-tragedy accused local officials of incompetence and negligence ("Russia: Parliamentary Probe Into Beslan Tragedy Finds Officials At Fault") [#41013],  [ID 11007]

Document(s): Open document

27.12.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

North Ossetia: Investigation concluded that Russian police and security forces bear no blame for the deaths of Beslan ("Beslan Investigation Clears Security Forces") [#40973],  [ID 11008]

Document(s): Open document

29.11.2005 - Source: BBC News

Russian security forces partly blamed for hostage-taking raid in Beslan school in 2004 that led to deaths of 331 people ("State forces blamed over Beslan") [#39890],  [ID 11009]

Document(s): Open document

28.06.2002 - Source:

Johnson's Russia List: Many OMON officers return home from Chechnya suffering psychological trauma ("28/06/2002 - Johnson's Russia List: Russia: Police Who Serve In Chechnya Bring Trauma Of War Back Home") [ID 11924]

"The All-Russian Movement for Human Rights claims that nearly all the officers from Russia's OMON special forces have served in Chechnya, and that many have returned home with what Ponamariov calls the "Chechnya virus." The head of the Moscow branch of OMON told the human-rights group that several dozen police officers have been recently fired from the force as a result of improper behavior. But both Ponamariov and Duma Deputy Yushenkov say contract soldiers like the OMON officers cannot be blamed for their anger at not seeing their contract fulfilled by the state."

Document(s): 28/06/2002 - Johnson's Russia List: Russia: Police Who Serve In Chechnya Bring Trauma Of War Back Home

12.05.2001 - Source:

Counter Terror & Hostage Rescue: 'OMON' (currently under construction) ("12/05/2001 - Counter Terrorist & Hostage Rescue: 'OMON'") [ID 11925]

Document(s): 12/05/2001 - Counter Terrorist & Hostage Rescue: 'OMON'

31.03.2000 - Source:

Police News Network: OMON - Police Detachment of Special Designation ("31/03/2000 - Police News Network: 38 More OMON Russian Police Killed in Chechnya") [ID 11923]

"OMON is the Russian acronym for Police Detachment of Special Designation and they are within the Russian Ministry of the Interior (MVD). There is much misinformation in existence about the OMON on the internet and elsewhere and often they are lumped in with military units and intelligence units. They are not a special forces unit in the sense of that term as meaning British SOF, U.S. Delta Force, Germany's KSK, or Israeli SOF. Although OMON is often described as a SWAT type organization, it is more correctly a task force type operation as used in many police agencies (LAPD Metropolitan Division is an example as are the German Lander riot police) where they are a reserve force used in special situations and hot spots; SWAT is only one function. OMON is utilized throughout the Russian Federation and has responsibility for counter-terrorism, riot supression and serious crime supression."

Document(s): 31/03/2000 - Police News Network: 38 More OMON Russian Police Killed in Chechnya