A victim of torture in a Rostov prison hospital has been questioned as a witness.

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Following the resumption of the investigation into abuse of power by employees of the Rostov prison hospital MOTB-19, one patient was questioned as a witness, but he does not yet have victim status. Investigators are gathering materials for the case.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in January 2024, a court sentenced former deputy head of the FSIN tuberculosis hospital, Alexander Lyakh, to seven and a half years in prison, finding him guilty of organizing the torture of patients. The head of the psychiatric department, Daria Pozdnyakova, received a six-year sentence, and psychiatrist Anastasia Potorochina received a five-year sentence. The defendants demanded that the sentences be overturned, maintaining their innocence, but the regional court upheld the verdicts. Subsequently, another case of torture in the Rostov prison hospital was opened, but investigators failed to identify any suspects and closed the investigation. Oleg Sokurenko, a lawyer for several victims in the Rostov prison hospital torture case, appealed the termination of the investigation. Last October, it became known that the investigation into the abuse of power by hospital staff had been reopened.

Oleg Sokurenko, director of the interregional foundation "Center for the Legal Defense of Disabled People and Persons with Socially Significant Diseases," who represents all but one of the victims in the torture case at the Rostov prison hospital, reported that one of his clients had been questioned as a witness, but had not yet been granted victim status.

"We have questioned one witness. We are now waiting to see if he will be recognized as a victim." "But he's the only one so far. Another potential victim is currently a service member, serving in a combat zone. They said they won't be taking any investigative action against him for now," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on January 30.

This means that one victim and one accused ended up in the SVO.

According to Sokurenko, the investigation is currently gathering evidence. "They're looking for other witnesses, anyone who saw or heard anything about this incident in 2019. As for the accused, they're the same. Two are definitely here in Kostroma, serving their sentences in a women's penal colony, and [one] is in the SVO. This means that one victim and one accused ended up in the SVO," Sokurenko said.

By his calculations, there are now 13 victims in the case, which was opened two years ago. "And two suspects," Sokurenko concluded.

Alexander told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was recently questioned as a witness. "I currently have witness status. The investigator told me that I will be recognized as a victim after some time," he said.

When they weren't in the mood, they threw syringes at my feet like darts.

Alexander recounted his ordeals in the Rostov prison hospital. "When they brought me there, they stripped me down to my underwear, tied me to the bed—my legs, arms, chest, and neck—and inserted a urinary catheter. This wasn't done by doctors or even nurses, but by prisoners who were on hand for the administration. They injected me with psychotropic drugs about three times a day, exclusively into my legs. When they weren't in the mood, they would throw syringes at my legs like darts. One time, during one of those throws, he hit me right in the nerve," he said.

According to him, the patients were extremely afraid and hated one orderly in particular. "He behaved inhumanely. My leg took about a year to recover. During that time, I lost about twenty kilograms, then I had to learn to walk again. All this was done by the inmate 'orderlies.' Moreover, as far as I know, one of them was in prison for raping a child. <...> They didn't feed me, just a couple of spoons of broth a day. I lay there for more than two weeks. When I started to get indignant and yell at them, [the orderly] came up to me and hit me hard in the heart area, after which I stopped screaming. I saw the head of the department and her deputy only once when they came into our ward. I never saw them again. The orderlies were very aggressive. "They administered injections and performed nurses' duties," Alexander said.

In my opinion, the investigator is interested in resolving the case.

He noted that the interrogation with the investigator lasted quite a long time. "I can't say anything about the investigation's prospects, but the investigator asked me questions about the case that I didn't know the answers to. In my opinion, the investigator is interested in resolving the case," he added.

Araik Babayan, a victim in the previous case, is currently in Armenia. "I was banned from entering the Russian Federation. I was only interrogated once. Nothing else happened. And then they banned me from entering. I'm now in Armenia, working. "I feel more or less normal," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Lawyer Timofey Shirokov, who is not involved in this case, noted that such delays in the investigation are standard for multi-element cases.

"The maximum period of detention for the accused is a year and a half. Therefore, by the time the maximum period expires, the investigators have most likely charged several counts and sent the case to court. And then they add other counts. But lawyers and victims should complain to higher investigative authorities, to the prosecutor's office. They can sue for the inaction of the investigators. "Although it's doubtful this will expedite the matter," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

As a reminder, the hospital's chief physician, Tigran Mkrtchyan, was sentenced to two years in prison, having been found guilty of negligence resulting in the death of inmate Dmitry Baksheev. On September 18, he was released on parole, which surprised lawyer Oleg Sokurenko, who is assisting the victims.

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