Human rights defender Nagavkin complains about torture of prisoners at SIZO

Human rights defender Igor Nagavkin, accused of disorganizing the operation of a SIZO (pre-trial prison), spoke in court about cases when prisoners were subjected to torture at the SIZO. The prosecutor’s office agreed to accept the human rights defender’s complaint for verification.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 26, Igor Nagavkin complained about provocation and pressure on witnesses. Prison staff denied the accusations.

On January 15, 2024, in the Leninsky District Court of the Volgograd Region, Igor Nagavkin complained that on December 27, two prisoners were placed to his cell, and on December 12, they were subjected to physical violence by SIZO warders. So, the warders kicked a native of Kalmykia in the head, insulted him, and forced him to sign various papers.

According to Valentin Bogdan, the head of the “In Defence of the Rights of Prisoners”* Foundation, in a similar case in Irkutsk, it took a year to get a case of torture instituted.

Valentin Bogdan also reported that his foundation raised the money Igor Nagavkin needed to pay a fine for the damage he caused, according to the investigators’ version, to the SIZO during the incident in his cell.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.