Moskalkova asked to check the arrest of an employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the case of a fire in a shelter in Kemerovo

Human Rights Ombudsman in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova appealed to law enforcement agencies to check the grounds for the arrest of fire inspector Roman Plet. He was arrested for two months in a case of negligence resulting in the death of people (part 3 of article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) after a fire in a Kemerovo shelter where 22 people died. According to Ms. Moskalkova, an EMERCOM officer tried to check compliance with fire safety rules, but was not allowed to enter.

“It became known that one of those arrested by the court was a fire inspector, who, according to the citizens who contacted us, made attempts to check compliance with fire safety rules. However, he was not allowed into the territory of this private house. I appealed to the competent authorities with a request to check the validity of bringing the inspector to criminal responsibility and choosing such a strict measure of restraint against him, as well as establishing control over this investigation,” the Ombudsman said in a statement. Telegram.

Tatyana Moskalkova believes that the really guilty should bear responsibility, and not “switchmen”.

The court also arrested Andrei Smirnov, the organizer of the homeless shelter, for two months and charged him with providing services that do not meet safety requirements. According to the ICR, the building did not have a fire alarm and fire extinguishing systems.

The Commissioner for Human Rights recalled that the initiative to introduce compulsory licensing of private homes for the elderly was proposed earlier. After the fire in Kemerovo, the measure was also asked to be introduced by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the governor of the region, Sergei Tsivilev.

The incident happened on December 24th. The fire killed 22 people and injured six. Andrei Smirnov pleaded guilty. The investigation says the cause of the fire was incorrect operation of the heating boiler: the temperature was set to 80 °C with a maximum of 73 °C.

Read about the arrests of the defendants in the case in the material “Kommersant” “The accused in the fire were sheltered in a pre-trial detention center”.

Polina Sobakina