MOSCOW, December 11 (RAPSI) – In the first eleven months of 2019, 3,039 complaints were filed with the office of Russian federal ombudsman by victims of crimes, the country’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova said Wednesday during the Ombudsmen Coordination Council’s meeting.

More than half of complaints are related to pre-investigation check violations (1,838), she noted.

According to the ombudsman, the injured party is a key figure in the criminal process. Criminal proceedings mostly begin upon his or her application. The number of criminal case victims is estimated at millions. In 2018, over 1.5 million persons were recognized as injured parties in criminal cases, Moskalkova added.

She also stated that the criminal procedure law system needs improvement, including reforming of the stage of criminal cases initiation, determination of the legal status of an applicant reporting committed or plotted crimes, providing of free legal assistance to applicants and giving prosecutors powers to issue orders obligatory for investigators.