Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

February 15, 2023

Russia: prisoners of the battlefield

Interview

Crises 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.

January 25, 2023

Russia: seen in the press / 2023

News

Asia Torture Work 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.

December 8, 2022

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

News

Asia Violence Russia

The inmates at IK-2 penal colony rise at 6 a.m. each day for a breakfast of milk porridge, bread and tea. Soon they leave their barracks at this aging facility about 300 miles southeast of Moscow, in the isolated republic of Mordovia.

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

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.

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.

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…

September 20, 2022

Russia: a prisoners’ rights activist says escaped assassination

News

Europe Torture Russia

A prominent Russian prisoners’ rights activist exiled in France said Monday he had escaped an assassination attempt which he blamed on Russian special services and organized crime.

July 19, 2022

Russia: the country recruits prisoners en masse for Ukraine deployment

News

Asia Russia

Prisoners with combat experience across Russia are being recruited en masse to fight in Ukraine.

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.

March 24, 2022

Russia: Alexei Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison

News

Europe Justice Russia

Russian opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for his overt criticism of Vladimir Putin and peaceful political activism.

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

Novaya Gazeta newspaper removes content and BBC suspends Russian operations after draft bill passes.

March 9, 2022

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

News

Europe Russia

The jailed anti-Kremlin activist branded Putin an “obviously insane czar” in a string of tweets from behind bars.

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.

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

Ivan Pavlov, human rights lawyer and the head of the human rights group Komanda 29 (Team 29), has worked on numerous high-profile cases. He was detained in the early hours of 30 April after a raid on the hotel where he was staying in Moscow. He was apprehended by the officers of the Federal Securit…

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

Nine inmates of a prison colony in Smolensk sew their lips shut as part of a hunger strike over “inhuman treatment” at the hands of prison guards.

April 28, 2021

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

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Europe Health Protest Violence Russia

Russian authorities unleashed a crackdown on peaceful protesters demanding the release of Aleksei Navalny, arresting at least 1,700 and using excessive force, including tasers, at demonstrations around the country.

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