Grishkovets becomes the head of the Public Council under the Federal Penitentiary Service | News from Germany about Russia

Yevgeny Grishkovets, a writer, director, theater and film actor, was unanimously elected chairman of the Public Council (OS) under the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) of Russia. This was announced on Wednesday, December 29, at the press service of the Public Chamber (OP) of the Russian Federation.

The first meeting of the Council in the new composition was held in the OP. Vladislav Grib and the chairman of the OP commission on security and interaction with the Public Monitoring Commission (POC) Alexander Vorontsov became the deputy chairmen of the OC.

“Visited several colonies”

Grishkovets explained why he decided to take the corresponding post. “I ended up here because three years ago I took part in deciding the fate of a young poetess who is now in custody,” he said. “During this time, I visited several colonies, learned many stories of people whose loved ones are in places of forced detention, and this made a huge impression on me,” the playwright noted. “Since I am given a chance to help someone with my participation, I consider it necessary to do so,” he added.

Eva Merkacheva: This is better than the ex-head of the Krasnoyarsk Federal Penitentiary Service

Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Human Rights Council under the President and the POC, in turn expressed her opinion on the appointment: “It’s good that this is a creative person.” “This is better than if the Public Council was headed by the former head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Krasnoyarsk Territory, known for its torture stories,” she is sure.

The meeting was attended by Arkady Gostev, who became the new head of the FSIN on November 25 amid a scandal with the publication of the Gulagu.net video archive about torture in Russian colonies.

Previously, the Public Council was headed by film director Vladimir Menshov. He died in July of this year.

Archive of torture in colonies

In early October, the founder of the human rights project Gulagu.net, Vladimir Osechkin, said that the organization received and removed from Russia several dozen gigabytes of videos, photographs and other documents, which, according to the activist, confirm the systemic nature of torture in Russian colonies and pre-trial detention centers in Irkutsk, Vladimirskaya and Saratovskaya areas. This information was provided to human rights defenders by the programmer Sergei Savelyev, who was serving time in one of the colonies and was engaged in the maintenance of video recorders and surveillance cameras there.

The publication of Gulagu.net caused a wide response in Russia. Communists in the State Duma called for a parliamentary investigation of torture in Russian colonies. Nevertheless, the State Duma did not support this initiative because of the position of the deputies from the ruling United Russia party.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation announced the initiation of criminal cases against employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service on the facts of sexual violence and abuse of office with the use of violence. In total, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office, on the facts of the use of violence in places of deprivation of liberty, which took place in the institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Khabarovsk Territory, Belgorod Region, Irkutsk, Saratov regions, more than 35 criminal cases are being investigated.

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