European Court recognizes conditions in penal colony of Volgograd as torture

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the authorities of Russia must pay 10,400 euros to Vladimir Pasikov for torture conditions in a penal colony in Volgograd, although Russia refused to comply with the decisions of the European Court issued after March 15, 2022.

Today, the European Court has issued a decision in a case of several convicts who were serving their sentences in penitentiaries of the Volgograd and Sverdlovsk Regions. In his complaint, Vladimir Pasikov, a complainant from the Volgograd Region, claimed that he had been serving his sentence for 3.5 years in the penal colony with too many people placed in cells, there was only 1.2 square meters of space per convict, and there was also “inadequate temperature” in the cells, insufficient lighting, lack of physical activity in the fresh air for convicts, the ECtHR notes on its official website.

Vladimir Pasikov claimed that during the period of serving his sentence he lived in barracks where at least 100 people were kept. The room was poorly lit, had no ventilation, and there was mould on the walls. Many convicts smoked indoors.

In his complaint, Vladimir Pasikov asked the district court to recognize the above-described conditions as degrading and to award him compensation of 600,000 roubles, but the district court refused him.