Press release, 26.01.2017

YABLOKO Chair, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia Emilia Slabunova will introduce a bill obliging prison administration to inform relatives of prisoners on their transfer to a colony within short timeframes. Slabunova claims that relatives must be provided with information on an inmate’s location as soon as possible.

It has been an issue for a long time but it became more relevant after dissident Ildar Dadin’s case. In early December Ildar Dadin, the first Russian to be convicted of repeatedly violating the law on unauthorized demonstrations, was transferred from the penal colony in Karelia after complaints about tortures. His relatives had no information on his location for over a month.

The bill drafted by Emilia Slabunova obliges the prison administration to inform relatives about the colony where an inmate will be transferred within three days. At the moment the time limits are not determined.

The deputy also proposes that an inmate will be given the right the call his relatives within three days of the transfer.

The bill introduces a time limit of seven days for moving prisoners to the place of serving the sentence, as well as from one colony to another. This is the time that long-distance trains need to travel from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. At present time the criminal-executive legislation does not contain terms of prison transfer.

The bill also proposes limiting the period of detention of prisoners in transit points to seven days. This way, the total period of transfer of inmates to correctional facilities must not exceed 14 days.

Now, according to the law, an inmate serves a sentence in correctional facilities of the region where he/she lived or was convicted. However, inmates can be transferred to a colony situated in other regions of the country for medical reasons or in order to protect their personal safety. YABLOKO leader proposes that an inmate can be transferred to another region only with his/her consent.

If the Legislative Assembly of Karelia passes the bill, it will be forwarded for consideration of the State Duma.