On April 21, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Bryansk Region Vyacheslav Tulupov, members of the regional Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) and law enforcement forces visited the local Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia.

During his visit to Settlement Colony № 3, Vyacheslav Tulupov inspected the conditions of detention, in particular, the way disciplinary measures are implemented and correctional labour is organized, living conditions of the prisoners and the level of medical and health care. Moreover, the regional Commissioner personally spoke to prisoners and answered their questions concerning parole.

In Corrective Colony № 1 the representatives of the regional PMC and law enforcement forces met prisoner G. who had been, according to media reports, subjected to torture, ill-treatment and illegal detention in a single confinement cell.

As a result of the conversation, prisoner G. said, he had no issues with the administration staff, he had not been tortured or ill-treated and he deliberately refused to comply with the regime rules, thus, such disciplinary measure as detention in a single confinement cell was legally imposed on him.

In conclusion, Vyacheslav Tulupov, members of the regional PMC and law enforcement forces spoke to prisoners in other regional correction facilities. In the course of the talks no applications and complaints about human rights violation were received.

Adapted from the Press Service of Commissioner for Human Rights in the Bryansk Region