The Investigative Committee began an investigation after the publication of Meduza about torture in the Kemerovo colony

The Investigative Committee has begun a pre-investigation check of data on the beating of a prisoner in a colony in the Kemerovo region, the department reports .

As noted, the verification began after the publication of the article. It is planned to study the medical documents of the convict and conduct a forensic medical examination.

The department does not provide other details, but, presumably, we are talking about the publication in Meduza of a story by a resident of Bashkortostan, Oksana Khattarova, who said that her husband Ruslan Kurmangaleev was tortured in IK-1 and IK-37 in the Kemerovo region.

It is not specified which specific colony the beating is being examined by the Investigative Committee. Kurmangaleev spoke about the use of force in both institutions.

“They grabbed me from behind by the neck, tied my hands and began to choke me, pulling a plastic bag over my face. After which [activist surname] Wilman took out his penis and invited me to kiss it; if I refused, the torture continued. They pulled down my pants and shoved a broom handle into my anus... They untied me and sat me at the table so that I could write a waiver of previously written statements and complaints. At this time, the deputy head of [the colony for security and operational work, Sergei] Selivanov, came in and told the activists: “Just be quiet,” he recalled one of the incidents in IK-1.

According to Khattarova, her husband was subsequently transferred to IK-37. According to the prisoner, in this colony prisoners are not called by name: they put a photograph of an ostrich in his breast pocket, so he had to introduce himself as “I am such and such an ostrich.” He was also beaten there.