Support The Moscow Times!

Novaya Gazeta Publishes New Torture Videos From Notorious Russian Prison

Sergei Kiselyov / Moskva News Agency

New video footage claiming to show the brutal torture of Russian inmates, one of whom died shortly after the footage was filmed, has surfaced, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Novaya Gazeta says the two videos came from the same prison colony where gruesome leaked footage of guards torturing inmates sparked a national scandal and arrests of prison officials in 2018. They are the eighth and ninth videos of torture to surface from Yaroslavl region Penal Colony-1, the newspaper said.

In the first video, which dates from August 2016, a prisoner who asked that his identity be kept private is seen being beaten on his buttocks and legs by guards with truncheons. The inmate was hospitalized for two weeks after his release from prison, Novaya Gazeta reported.

The second video, from April 2017, shows guards beating Georgian citizen Vazha Bochorishvili with truncheons on the buttocks and legs as he lies naked and face-down on a table, screaming for them to stop. After guards pull him off the table, he collapses unconscious to the floor.

Following these events, Bochorishvili’s family members told Novaya Gazeta that he was initially placed in solitary confinement and then hospitalized a few days later, where he died on May 9. Doctors diagnosed him with severe liver damage and trauma and the authorities never launched a criminal case into his death, the newspaper reported.

The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN)'s Yaroslavl region headquarters later said it has launched an inquiry into the videos. The Yaroslavl region's Investigative Committee has also opened a criminal case into abuse of power, its press service told Interfax.

The 2018 torture videos from the Yaroslavl region Penal Colony-1 sparked widespread public outcry within Russia over the country’s brutal prison system as well as UN condemnation and several prison officials being dismissed or charged with abuse of power.

Novaya Gazeta obtained the latest videos from the Public Verdict human rights foundation, which has been labeled a “foreign agent” in Russia.

A 2019 poll said that one in 10 Russians have been subjected to what they perceived to be torture by law enforcement officials.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more