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To investigate the reasons behind the prison riot in the Chelyabinsk region

Statement by YABLOKO Chairman

November 26, 2012

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO demands investigation of the events that led to the riot in the Penal Colony 6 in the city of Kopeysk, the Chelyabinsk region, on November 24, and unjustified cruelty in suppressing of the riot and use of riot police (OMON) for dispersing prisoners relatives and human rights activists who gathered by the prison.


So far, the Russian society has not received any coherent explanation from the prison administration and the heads of the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment. However, there is no doubt that such a large-scale confrontation between prisoners and the prison administration can not occur all of a sudden. Unfortunately, Penal Colony No 6 has been notoriously "famous" for a series of scandals involving the deaths and tortures of prisoners. Information coming from the administration and the Federal Service for Execution and Punishment of "an unlawful demand of 250 prisoners on weakening of the regime" does not look credible. We see the prisoners calls for help, excessive use of force by the riot police against prisoners relatives and human rights activists.


We demand that the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment and Public Prosecutor Generals Office take this case under their control and conduct a real investigation into the causes that led to such a situation.


A shallow investigation or pseudo-reports on normalization of the situation on the penal colony that has begun emerging in the press can only lead to an aggravation of the situation.


We would like to remind the authorities, the prisoners are citizens of Russia, and beatings, humiliation and tortures are inadmissible. The state and its agencies should not recur to unlawful actions, when the very name of "correctional facility" becomes a mockery of common sense and the realities of today.


We urge the authorities to ensure observance of the constitutional rights of the convicted - non-use of tortures, provision of medical service and the right to life - and to provide access to the colony of human rights activists and relatives.


We demand that the President of the Russian Federation to establish order in the system of the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment returning it to the constitutional framework. We believe that the current heads of the regional Federal Service for Execution of Punishment and the prison administration should be removed from their posts for professional incompetence.


Sergei Mitrokhin,
Chair of the YABLOKO party

See also:

Human Rights

 

 

November 26, 2012

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