Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

March 4, 2025

Russia: documentary reveals the late Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna was brutally tortured while in captivity

News

Women Asia Health Torture Russia

The late Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in the summer of 2023, was subjected to severe torture while in detention, according to an investigative documentary by Slidstvo.Info titled “Vika’s Last Assignment.”

January 10, 2025

Russia: how a juvenile detention centre in Taganrog was turned into a torture camp for Ukrainian imprisoned people

News

Crises Asia Access to legal rights Health Material conditions Facilities Torture Social ties Russia

What was once a detention centre for juveniles and women with children, Detention Centre No. 2, or SIZO-2, in Taganrog has for over two and a half years been used to detain captured Ukrainians. The facility has become notorious for inhumane conditions.

April 15, 2024

Russia: Tajikistan denounces 'torture' of Tajik suspects in Moscow attack, urges fair trial

News

Asia Justice Torture Violence Russia

Tajikistan’s foreign minister has described the beating and abuse of several Tajik suspects in the mass killing of more than 140 people at a Russian concert hall as “torture” that is at odds with the need for a thorough investigation and a fair trial.

April 9, 2024

Russia: the country runs a hidden prison system for Ukrainian in Crimea

News

Crises Asia Torture Violence Russia

Human rights monitors claim that occupation forces engage in torture and prolonged captivity in a sprawling penal network.

March 21, 2024

Russia: prisoner war recruitment craze forces russian prison closures

News

Asia Justice Facilities Russia

The Kremlin has recruited so many inmates to boost its manpower in the war in Ukraine that some Russian prisons are shuttering altogether.

February 23, 2024

Russia: workers at prison where Navalny died reportedly tried to pass off inmate’s death from torture as suicide

News

Asia Facilities Torture Russia

Workers at the “Polar Wolf” prison in Russia’s Far North where Alexey Navalny died once tried to pass off another inmate’s death as a suicide when he actually died as a result of torture, the investigative outlet Holod reported on Friday.

February 16, 2024

Russia: Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies in Arctic Circle jail

News

Asia Justice Material conditions Violence Russia

Russia’s most significant opposition leader for the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in an Arctic Circle jail, the prison service has said. President Vladimir Putin’s most vociferous critic, he was serving 19 years on extremism charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

January 11, 2024

Russia: Alexei Navalny’s impassioned speech at the Supreme Court

News

Asia Material conditions Violence Russia

The Supreme Court reviewed two lawsuits filed by Alexei Navalny against the Ministry of Justice, seeking to invalidate several sections of the Internal Regulations (IR) in penal colonies.

February 15, 2023

Russia: prisoners of the battlefield

Interview

Crises Europe Violence Russia

The conflict in Ukraine also impacts the individuals incarcerated in Russia. Many of them have been recruited by the Wagner Group over the past few months to participate in the fighting. Dmitry Gurin from EPLN shared with us what they know about this recruitment campaign.

January 25, 2023

Russia: seen in the press / 2023

News

Asia Torture Work Russia

Violence, acts of protest, prison conditions, justice reforms: find out what is new about prisons and justice in this country. Prison Insider monitors the press on a regular basis. Change the language setting to French or Spanish to read other articles.

December 8, 2022

Russia: Brittney Griner facing ‘terrible’ life at remote penal colony

News

Asia Violence Russia

The inmates at IK-2 penal colony rise at 6 a.m. each day for a breakfast of milk porridge, bread and tea. Soon they leave their barracks at this aging facility about 300 miles southeast of Moscow, in the isolated republic of Mordovia.

November 29, 2022

Russia: Navalni denuncia un endurecimiento de las condiciones de detención

News

Asia Access to legal rights Material conditions Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

November 28, 2022

Russia: a prison hospital became a torture dungeon

News

Asia Health Violence Russia

“Strapped down, had genitals shoved in their faces”. How a prison hospital in Krasnoyarsk became a torture dungeon

November 18, 2022

Russie : Des prisonniers russes envoyés par dizaines de milliers sur le front ukrainien

News

Asia Violence Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 14, 2022

Russia: las autoridades penitenciarias imponen duras condiciones a Alexei Navalny

News

Europe Material conditions Torture Violence Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

September 30, 2022

Russia: Brit POW Shaun Pinner was electrocuted and forced to listen to ABBA for 24 hours during torture sessions

News

Asia Foreign prisoners Torture Violence Russia

Hostage Shaun Pinner was electrocuted, stabbed, subjected to a mock execution and forced to listen to ABBA during his time in captivity.The ex-British Army soldier had to endure Mamma Mia over and over during 24-hour music torture sessions.

September 30, 2022

Russie : Alexeï Nalvany détenu dans des conditions toujours plus dures

News

Asia Justice Material conditions Torture Russia

Les conditions dans lesquelles est détenu le militant politique russe Alexeï Navalny semblent empirer, selon des informations et des photos publiées récemment.

September 30, 2022

Russia: arbitrary detentions and forcible conscriptions of peaceful protesters

News

Pre-trial detention Asia Violence Russia

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre (HRDC Memorial) strongly condemn the crackdown following nationwide protests across Russia on 21 September to oppose “partial mobilisation” announced by Vladimir Putin. Mass arbitrary arrests of peaceful d…

September 20, 2022

Russia: a prisoners’ rights activist says escaped assassination

News

Europe Torture Russia

A prominent Russian prisoners’ rights activist exiled in France said Monday he had escaped an assassination attempt which he blamed on Russian special services and organized crime.

July 19, 2022

Russia: the country recruits prisoners en masse for Ukraine deployment

News

Asia Russia

Prisoners with combat experience across Russia are being recruited en masse to fight in Ukraine.

June 29, 2022

Ukraine: Russia establishes more than 20 prison camps in occupied Ukraine

News

Asia Material conditions Russia

Russia has created more than 20 prison or “filtration” camps in occupied Ukrainian territory, Ukraine’s representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said.

March 24, 2022

Russia: Alexei Navalny sentenced to 9 years in prison

News

Europe Justice Russia

Russian opposition leader and prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for his overt criticism of Vladimir Putin and peaceful political activism.

March 22, 2022

Russie : Alexeï Navalny condamné à neuf ans de prison supplémentaires

News

Europe Justice Russia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

March 9, 2022

Russia: Parliament approves jail for ‘fake’ war reports

News

Europe Russia

Novaya Gazeta newspaper removes content and BBC suspends Russian operations after draft bill passes.