Investigators in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region are working to identify two prison guards who were filmed beating prisoners.
In a 14-minute video, uploaded to YouTube on Saturday, prisoners can be seen lined up along a corridor wall, standing spread-eagled. The poor quality footage shows the men being taken individually into a shower room and beaten on the head and torso by guards using their fists.
While Richard Wagner’s opera “Flight of the Valkyries” plays in background, guards can be heard shouting at the prisoners about their refusal to participate in prison-mandated exercise.
The video is attributed to “Deputy Head of the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Krasnoyarsk Region N.V. Shakhov,” and the agency’s official website lists a Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai V. Shakhov as interim chief of security, the Newsru website reported Wednesday.
According to the regional arm of Russia’s Investigative Committee, sometime between 2012 and April 21, 2018, guards at a prison run by the Federal Penitentiary Service in the village ofOktyabrsky in Krasnoyarsk’s Boguchansky District exceeded their authority by committing “violence against convicts,” Newsru reported, citing regional authorities.
A criminal investigation is underway, the committee said.
… we have a small favor to ask. As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.
Remind me later.
