Gazeta.Ru: Eva Merkacheva described the strangeness of the “banishment” from thieves in the law on sympathy for victims of torture by jailers

There are a number of oddities in the widespread media “thieves’ run” of crime bosses with an appeal not to demote those who have become victims of torture by jailers in the hierarchy. Eva Merkacheva, a member of the Public Monitoring Commission (POC), told Gazeta.Ru about them. She explained that usually such “runs” are signed by someone specific, and this letter is distributed on behalf of the “Mass of Thieves”.

We will remind, earlier today it was reported that an extremely unusual “thieves’ run” (a letter to all “inmates”) had spread through Russian prisons. It says that prisoners who have been tortured, raped and abused by the jailers cannot be demoted. And those who have already become victims are asked not to follow the lead of the jailers and not “break” other prisoners.

According to Merkacheva, she saw this letter a week ago. It was sent by a man who served a long time and was once considered close to the criminal world, so this source can be trusted.

“The strange thing about this letter is that it was not signed by anyone in particular, because I saw such notes when they were confiscated by employees of some detention centers and shown to us, human rights defenders. There were usually some signatures at the bottom. And so, yes, on a strange sheet, in such an even beautiful handwriting, so that everyone would understand the essence. In itself, this is an appeal, it is so human, because, in general, the topic is this. And, by the way, they have been talking about this for a long time that it is very strange why someone was tortured, raped, and then everyone else considers him an outcast. That is, it turns out that he also suffers, ”said Merkacheva.

At the same time, she believes that the “run” is hardly a police statement, and the thieves in law refused to sign, because then they could be brought under the article on leadership in an organized criminal community.

“All sorts of options are possible. But why would the police need such a story? Unclear. But, for example, why they did not sign, from a different point of view, I can understand. Because everyone who subscribes, he essentially says that he can be recruited under the new 210 article – leadership in an organized criminal community, ”she concluded.

In early October, human rights activists published a video on the Internet showing the torture and rape of prisoners in the hospital of the Saratov Federal Penitentiary Service. According to human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, 40 gigabytes of torture videos were filmed by employees of the department on official video recorders, and later other videos appeared on the Internet. Criminal cases were initiated, the situation was taken over by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Duma and the Federation Council.

On November 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Alexander Kalashnikov. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Colonel-General of Internal Service Arkady Gostev has been appointed the new head of the department.