Kalmyk colony warden accused of torturing Dagestani prisoners arrested

A court in Kalmykia has taken into custody the sixth colony employee, accused of abuse of authority and using violence against colony inmates from Dagestan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that five employees of the Kalmyk IK-2 correctional colony had been arrested on suspicion of using violence against prisoners. Natives of Dagestan who had been beaten up said that they had been tortured by about 40 people; most of the attackers were not taken into custody, Aza Alieva, an advocate, has informed. In January this year, four of the colony staff refused to plead guilty to using torture. In March, the defence of one of the prisoners, Magomed Atimagomedov, succeeded in opening the second criminal case on torture against the colony wardens, Baatar Bakanov and Arman Sagipov.

In September 2022, in Kalmykia, investigators opened a criminal case for inciting mass riots against the prisoners from Dagestan, Magomed Atimagomedov and Daud Kuramagomedov, accused of assaulting the colony staff. According to the advocates, their clients were severely beaten up in the colony. Magomed Atimagomedov, who is accused of killing a colony warden, said that he had planned to escape, as employees of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) threatened him with charges under a terrorist article; however, he had nothing to do with the murder but was forced to sign his testimony under pressure. Atimagomedov was threatened and feared for his life, Aza Alieva, his advocate, said in August 2022.

Also, Sergey Saveliev and Vladimir Osechkin, activists of the "Gulagu.net" ptoject, spoke before the Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and told about "the systemic nature of torture and humiliation" practised in some Russian correctional institutions of the FSIN.