In Kalmykia, colony inmates complain of beating

The inmates of Corrective Colony OL 27/3 (light-security camp), located in Kalmykia, are beaten by employees of the Republic's Department of the Federal Service for Punishment Enforcement (the so-called "UFSIN") on a regular basis. This was reported by public figure Valery Badmaev who referenced the prisoners themselves.

"I could meet some of the 'colonists' outside the corrective establishment. Practically all of them assert that beating of inmates by the UFSIN employees who work in the colony is a sort of a standard. Inmates said that incidents of this sort happen almost weekly, and without any slightest grounds," Mr Badmaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The latest one occurred on January 1. Seven inmates - Tseren Bambaev, Mingiyan Karteev, Sergey Okonov, Valery Manakov, Sergey Barkhaev, Yuri Ochirov and Anatoly Badmaev - were beaten by employees of the colony-settlement for several hours. Because of numerous received traumas Valery Manakov, 20, could not walk for more than a week.

It has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that among the culprits were Mergen Azydov, head of the colony's security service, his deputy Igor Gyunzikov and a number of their subordinates from among the employees of the colony.

The "beating session" was organized outdoors at the temperature of 20 degrees below zero. The inmates were forced to undress before beating.

Relatives of the inmates told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they learnt about the beating on January 2 from relatives of others colonists. On that very day relatives of three of the victims arrived to the district capital Yashkul, filed their complaints to the prosecutor's office, and then went to the colony. They managed to meet the inmates.

"My son's body is just an endless bruise with extravasations," said Tseren Bambaev's father. Anatoly Badmaev complains of strong pains in his breast area. Other beaten inmates are in similar conditions.

"One of the hackneyed colonists cut his veins open from despair, another one was going to commit suicide," the victim's father has added.

It has become known to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on January 7 inmate Dmitri Kudryaev made an attempt of self-immolation. Now, Kudryaev with numerous burns is in the in-patient ward of intensive therapy of the Yashkul District Hospital.

According to Valery Badmaev, on January 3, together with an assistant of the State Duma deputy, he visited the venue and tried to talk to the head of the colony-settlement A. Mandzhiev and inspector of the Yashkul Investigatory department of the Investigatory Committee A. Goryaev. However, both officials have refused to come to the meeting without any explanation of the reasons.