On 6 February 2015 expert of Fund «For convicts’ rights protection» Aleksey Sokolov lost a lawsuit against administration of the penal colony № 63 of Ivdel at the Verkh-Isetsky regional courthouse.
The reason for this was another denial of access for Aleksey Sokolov on meetings with convicts in order to provide them with legal help according to p.4, art. 89 of Penal Code.
On 10 September 2015 Aleksey Sokolov together with members of Public Monitoring Committee arrived at the penal colony № 63. Having registered his statement, he began waiting at the reception office for chief and members went to inspect the facility.
A defender was waiting all day long but officers kept saying that there was Chief and nobody could consider his statement. Working day was over and Aleksey Sokolov was asked to leave the facility. So defender went to guest house which is located at the check-point where he kept expecting decision upon his statement.
After 6 pm members of Committee went outside and surprised that expert wasn’t given a meeting with convicts.
Alseksey Sokolov dissatisfied with such things, he went to law.
Thus a right to provision of legal help for convicts of Fund «For convicts’ rights protection» was violated there. At the court hearing participated experts of Fund — Aleksey Sokolov and Larisa Zakharova.
They supported demands about unlawfulness of actions of administration of the facility which reflected in non consideration of expert’s statement for meetings and denial of access.
A lawyer of the correctional facility said to court that nobody had denied him meetings and even more, his statement had been considered that day but A. Sokolov left the facility at 3 pm and didn’t show up there at all and that’s why he couldn’t use his right to meetings.
Experts of Fund and members of Public Monitoring Committee invited as witnesses there didn’t expect to hear such bare lie from administration of the facility. In addition, lawyer of the colony moved for inclusion of materials of prosecutor inspection in the case file according to what A. Sokolov left the colony and didn’t come back; besides some officers said that a meeting was allowed but he didn’t use his right. It’s very interesting would they support those testimony if they were warned about liability for knowingly giving false evidence? Request of one of the convicts for personal participation in the court hearing was not considered at all.
Human rights defenders remembered the same situation at the penal colony № 63 when A. Sokolov in March 2014 came over there for provision legal assistance, registered his statement, waited all day and in the evening T. N. Sukhneva asked him to leave the facility.
That time Aleksey went to law either and there he found out that according to explanation of Sukhneva because he after registration of his statement, left the colony. Attempt to prove them wrong failed that time.
In September 2014 A. Sokolov having arrived at the colony, made officers register two copies of statements, he left one for himself, another one he handed T. N. Sukhneva with a request not lie.
As witnesses he invited members of Committee who confirmed that A. Sokolov didn’t go anywhere.
Judge of Verkh-Isetsky court of Yekaterinburg E. V. Popova for some reasons trusted more in explanations written by jailers.
In the course of court hearings human rights defenders found one more interesting fact. Lawyer of the penal colony № 63 was convincing judge that meetings are given since early morning until lockdown. In fact, experts of Fund have experienced many times other things. Admission pass is signed out till pm. Thus meetings are over at 5 pm and defenders are asked to leave the facility. They have filed complaints into Prosecutor office and the Federal Service, no responses. But for now lawyer confirmed that officers violate it. At least something good after this court hearing.
Human rights defenders of the Urals
