Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

February 15, 2023

Russia: prisoners of the battlefield

Interview

Europe Violence Russia

The conflict in Ukraine also impacts the individuals incarcerated in Russia. Many of them have been recruited by the Wagner Group over the past few months to participate in the fighting. Dmitry Gurin from EPLN shared with us what they know about this recruitment campaign. Read more

January 25, 2023

Russia: seen in the press / 2023

News

Asia Russia

Violence, acts of protest, prison conditions, justice reforms: find out what is new about prisons and justice in this country. Prison Insider monitors the press on a regular basis. Change the language setting to French or Spanish to read other articles. Read more

December 8, 2022

Russia: Brittney Griner facing ‘terrible’ life at remote penal colony

News

Asia Violence Russia

Long days are spent in forced labor, working at sewing machines, with only a short break for lunch. By nightfall, prisoners are fed dinner and allowed an hour or less of free time before going to sleep in dormitories crowded with scores of bunk beds. The routine reportedly can stretch for weeks on…

Source — Los Angeles Times

November 29, 2022

Russia: Navalni denuncia un endurecimiento de las condiciones de detención

News

Asia Access to legal rights Material conditions Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

November 28, 2022

Russia: a prison hospital became a torture dungeon

News

Asia Health Violence Russia

“Strapped down, had genitals shoved in their faces”. How a prison hospital in Krasnoyarsk became a torture dungeon

Source — The Insider

November 18, 2022

Russie : Des prisonniers russes envoyés par dizaines de milliers sur le front ukrainien

News

Asia Violence Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 14, 2022

Russia: las autoridades penitenciarias imponen duras condiciones a Alexei Navalny

News

Europe Material conditions Torture Violence Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

September 30, 2022

Russia: Brit POW Shaun Pinner was electrocuted and forced to listen to ABBA for 24 hours during torture sessions

News

Asia Foreign prisoners Torture Violence Russia

Hostage Shaun Pinner was electrocuted, stabbed, subjected to a mock execution and forced to listen to ABBA during his time in captivity.The ex-British Army soldier had to endure Mamma Mia over and over during 24-hour music torture sessions.

Source — The Sun

September 30, 2022

Russie : Alexeï Nalvany détenu dans des conditions toujours plus dures

News

Asia Justice Material conditions Torture Russia

Les conditions dans lesquelles est détenu le militant politique russe Alexeï Navalny semblent empirer, selon des informations et des photos publiées récemment.

Source — Amnesty International

September 30, 2022

Russia: arbitrary detentions and forcible conscriptions of peaceful protesters

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Violence Russia

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre (HRDC Memorial) strongly condemn the crackdown following nationwide protests across Russia on 21 September to oppose “partial mobilisation” announced by Vladimir Putin. Mass arbitrary arrests of peaceful d…

Source — FIDH

September 20, 2022

Russia: a prisoners’ rights activist says escaped assassination

News

Europe Torture Russia

Vladimir Osechkin heads the Gulagu.net project, which has in recent years published videos showing graphic scenes of torture and rape inside Russian prisons. Russian authorities placed him on a wanted list late last year for unspecified crimes. In a video interview with independent journalist Yulia…

Source — The Moscow Times

July 19, 2022

Russia: the country recruits prisoners en masse for Ukraine deployment

News

Asia Russia

Representatives from the Kremlin-linked Wagner private military contractor and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) are reportedly offering convicts deployment or work on restoring and demining occupied Ukrainian territories. According to Gulagu.net, the recruitment campaigns took place recently…

Source — The Moscow Times

June 29, 2022

Ukraine: Russia establishes more than 20 prison camps in occupied Ukraine

News

Asia Material conditions Russia

Russia has created more than 20 prison or “filtration” camps in occupied Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said.

Source — Newsmaxworld

March 24, 2022

Russia: Alexei Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison

News

Europe Justice Russia

On March 22, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow delivered its verdict at a hearing held in penal colony IK-2 in Pokrov, Vladimir Region, where Aleksei Navalny is serving his previous, arbitrary 2.5-year sentence. The court found him guilty of “fraud on an especially large scale” and “contempt o…

Source — Amnesty International

March 22, 2022

Russie : Alexeï Navalny condamné à neuf ans de prison supplémentaires

News

Europe Justice Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 9, 2022

Russia: Parliament approves jail for ‘fake’ war reports

News

Europe Russia

Russians could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for spreading information that goes against the Russian government’s position on the war in Ukraine, a move that comes as authorities block access to foreign media outlets. The Russian parliament voted unanimously Friday to approve a draft law…

Source — Aljazeera

March 9, 2022

Russia: From prison, Navalny urges Russians to rise up and ‘stop the war’

News

Europe Russia

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called on Russians to rise up and fight against Vladimir Putin’s “aggressive war” in Ukraine, brandishing the Russian president an “obviously insane car”. The prominent Kremlin critic, tweeting from behind bars, urged people to stage daily protest…

Source — The London Economic

December 7, 2021

Russia: “They’re killing us!”

News Investigations

Asia Europe Discipline Torture Russia

Prison Insider was contacted by an anonymous Russian source. They asked us to expose the abuse inflicted on prisoners in the Angarsk Penal Colony No. 15 following the riot there in April 2020. We explain how the events unfolded below. Read more

October 12, 2021

Russie : un lanceur d’alerte dénonce un système de viols organisés en prison

News

Europe Torture Violence Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

June 10, 2021

Rusia: justicia rusa decreta prisión preventiva para Pivovarov a la espera de que se celebre el juicio en su contra

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Europe Access to legal rights Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

May 6, 2021

Russia: release prominent lawyer defending Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation from arbitrary detention

News

Pre-trial detention Europe Access to legal rights Justice Russia

Responding to news that Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers have detained Ivan Pavlov, a human rights lawyer defending the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Aleksei Navalny, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Moscow Office Director, said: “Lawyers should never be arrested si…

Source — Amnesty international

May 4, 2021

Russia: Daghestani and Azerbaijani inmates sew mouths shut in Russia prison hunger strike

News

Asia Health Material conditions Protest Torture Violence Russia

The protest in the prison in western Russia involved three people from the Russian republic of Daghestan and an Azerbaijani native. Their relatives told Caucasian Knot that inmates were confined to punishment cells without justification and even threatened with torture for expressing dissatisfactio…

Source — OC media

April 28, 2021

Russia: human rights crisis deepens as Navalny supporters arrested en masse

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Europe Health Protest Violence Russia

Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of all those who have been detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and for the immediate release of Aleksei Navalny who is being arbitrarily detained and denied access to independent healthcare. “On Wednesday,…

Source — Amnistía internacional

April 7, 2021

Russie : Alexeï Navalny entame une grève de la faim pour protester contre l’absence d’accès à des soins

News

Asia Europe Health Torture Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French