Travel sitting of Human Rights Council state absence of complaints from Chechen jails

On July 8, in Chechnya, participants of the visiting meeting of the Human Rights Council inspected institutions of the FSIN (Federal Penitentiary Service). The human rights defenders have noted the absence of inmates' complaints about the detention in the penitentiary institutions.

A group of participants of the meeting, including Kheda Saratova, a Chechen human rights defender, has inspected the penal colony located in Chernokozovo. According to her report, the conditions there are good, and the stereotype opinion of Chernokozovo as of the terrible prison does not correspond to the today's reality.

Being a members of the working group, Igor Kalyapin, the head of the interregional public organization "Committee against Torture", inspected the SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Grozny. According to his report, the conditions at the SIZO are good.

However, he has noted persons under investigation complained being tortured to admit guilty. "All this happens not at the SIZO, but it is being committed by staff members of operational and search services and policemen, who investigate their cases," Igor Kalyapin has said.

It should be noted that Nelly Radjabova, Salikh Gadjiev and Magomed Shamilov, three human rights defenders from Dagestan, are not among the participants of the meeting, although they had been earlier invited by Vladimir Lukin, Russian Ombudsman. This was reported by Magomed Shamilov, Chairman of the trade union of staff members of law enforcement bodies.

In turn, Igor Kalyapin states that the human rights organizations "Memorial" and "Civil Assistance" refused to attend the meeting.