The personnel of a penal colony in Kalmykia are suspected of beating convicts from Chechnya

A criminal case on the fact of abuse of authority was initiated in Kalmykia against the personnel of a penal colony who have regularly been beaten up natives of Chechnya, representatives of the Apparat of Ombudsman of Chechen Republic informed the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Local resident Roza Asaeva appealed to his office saying that her husband Magomed Yelgaev serving penalty in Penal colony No 2 of the Department of Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Kalmykia was undergoing victimization on ethnic grounds. The woman asked Chechen Ombudsman to protect her husband’s constitutional rights.

Asaeva states that natives of other North-Caucasian republics are also undergoing violence in this colony. “The convicts even have problems with sewage and water supply system”, she says.

According to the woman, a problem with sewage system caused her husband’s conflict with one of the guards whom Yelgaev asked to take him out to relieve himself”.

“The guard hurt by such a request pounced on the convict and started beating him with his legs and a club. As a result, his nose, arm and finger were fractured and his internal injured. Yelgaev’s cellmate who tried to stop the guard got injured as well. On seeing the results of his actions, the guard struck himself with his own club pretending that it was self-defense”, the statement runs.

Asaeva states that during the whole next day other employees of the colony entered the cell and beat up Yelgaev and his cellmate for the assault at their colleague.

“Prosecutor's inspection confirmed the facts of violation of the law by the personnel of the federal public institution Penal colony No 2 while carrying out their duties. In particular, the fact of illegal use of violence against convicts Kudaev and Yelgaev was established”, representatives of the Apparat of Chechen Ombudsman informed.

“A report on all the violations of the law found during prosecutor’s inspection was submitted to Chief of the Department of Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in Kalmykia and the question of bringing all the employees of Penal colony who failed to observe legal regulations and the rights of the convicts to strict disciplinary liability”, Sergey Zhilin, Deputy Public prosecutor of the Republic of Kalmylia reports in his letter.

However, according to Zhilin, no facts of oppression of the convicts natives of the republics of Northern Caucasus on ethnic or religious ground or hindrance to acts of their faith were established.

The “Caucasian Knot” has yet no comments from the suspects themselves or representatives of Penal colony No 2 and Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia about beating the convicts.