Public control in penal colony № 56 and medical correctional facility № 58. IvdelLAG. Video

 On April 7-8, 2014 there was another trip of human rights defenders to Ivdel in Sverdlovsk region in which the following people participated: member of Public Monitoring Committee Elena Nikolayeva, attorney Roman Kachanov, Expert of Fund «For convicts’ rights defense» Aleksey Sokolov and me. The reasons to get there are numerous; North colonies don’t want to accept us. Law and Order escapes IvdelLAG colonies. «Sad but true», -they say then.

Immediately upon arrival we made our ways to «Black war eagle». Due to lack of time we couldn’t manage to walk through each cells but talked to convicts, there are a lot willing to share their problems with us.

Then we went to Ivdel court to take part in court session in small case as it seems but this «small» case as a part of «bigger» case may lead to interesting results.

Next day we went to medical correctional facility № 58 with Elena Nikolayevna, the long way but the nature is impressed . There is special beauty in North landscape.

Prison officers didn’t greet us with pleasure as it was for the first time, they were not happy about our arrival, it hit the eye. But we were not upset, Law and Human rights observation are more important for us. There was not lighting in the village. We joked around that they made difficulties on purpose for us. Some of jailers said: «Why do they show up now for no reason?».

No way to bring a camera inside as usual. Jailers don’t like to read about violations and see pictures from their colony. Don’t break the law and everything is fine! Officers didn’t unlock cells due to absence of lighting.

We came up to cell windows, inmates were waiting for us. Almost everyone wanted to speak with us. We walked through squads. Weird thing. Again there are no «habitants» of these buildings. For instance, squad № 2 — 107 people. Question: where are inmates? Answer: 55 are on works. Where are all the rest? They don’t know. How come representatives of administration don’t know.

Squad № 3A-11 people- open form of tuberculosis. There are 3 in beds, outside — 2. Where are all the rest? They don’t know again.

Squad № 3- 25 people, again no inmates except some people. One prisoner arrived here in October 2013, he says never had disease why is he in medical correctional facility?

Squad №1 — 75 people. 45 are on works, where are all the rest?

We met one convict -disabled of a group II, without leg, on crutches.

Convict I. is one of the former liquidators of Chernobyl disaster, he told he experiences pain in the leg. Last time he underwent medical examination in 2010, even he had blood disorder and it requires medical care on a constant basis by oncologist.

Convict G.Soseliya told us that after we left he had been on a hunger strike for 7 days, then he stopped but couldn’t take food for more than 10 days. Besides Soseliya’s cell is very cold because of removed window. He has open form of tuberculosis and such cold cell might result in death. He has constant headache which he hasn’t experienced before. Also we found out that warden of facility asked Soseliya to tell Larisa Zakharova not to come over again. He refused. Soseliya doesn’t have any complaints so far, he is given a mattress and now he can lie up.

Convict D. doesn’t have complaints but after he was beaten, he didn’t see either prosecutor or investigator there.

When we was leaving, evening checks began. We finally could see prisoners, but not all of them. About 20 people were standing there in dirty clothes in wood shredding and red dust with exhausted faces after work in pig sty. Question: where are all the rest? Prisoners only smiled …

We were about to check work places for convicts even if we didn’t have time then but jailers didn’t let us.

We were in a hurry, long road was ahead. We couldn’t visit other «problematic» colonies № 62, 63.

As well-known Karlsson says: «I’m leaving but I promise to be back»

«Upon execution of the project means of state assistance are used allocated as grant according to Order of President of the Russian Federation on 18.09.2013 № 348-рп”) and based on competition of Donor”

Human rights defenders of the Urals.