Penitentiary Service In Siberia Removes Rights Groups From Inmate Torture Cases
June 03, 2021 12:15 GMT
In March, nine other probes were launched against prison officers over alleged torture of inmates in several penal colonies in the region.
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IRKUTSK, Russia -- Activists say Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) in the Siberian region of Irkutsk has used a legal maneuver to keep lawyers from human rights groups from defending cases of alleged torture in the region's jails and penal colonies.
Rights activist Svyatoslav Khromenkov
told RFE/RL on June 3 that three lawyers for the Siberia Without Torture group had received official letters from the FSIN saying they had been given the status of witnesses in high-profile torture cases, which under Russia law makes it impossible for them to defend the inmates.