Russian Prison Guard Sentenced for Failing to Report Beating Death

July 31, 2018

A prison guard in Russia’s Far East has received a 2.5 year suspended sentence for failing to report the 2016 beating death of an inmate.

Prison violence has become a hotly debated issue in Russia after a graphic video of several guards beating a prisoner surfaced this month. Russia has since promised the UN that it would prosecute perpetrators of torture in prison and announced plans to launch a nationwide inspection of correctional facilities.

A former guard in the Jewish autonomous region was found guilty of negligence leading to death, the region’s prosecutor’s office said in an online statement Monday.

The unnamed guard witnessed two convicts attacking a third prisoner to death in April 2016, the prosecutor’s office said.

“The defendant didn’t report the incident to leadership… and didn’t take measures to ensure his personal safety. As a result, the two other convicts killed the victim,” the prosecutors said.

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