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Ex-Detention Center Warden in Irkutsk Jailed 5 Years for Abusing Inmates

Detention Center No. 1 in Irkutsk. kamkp.ru

A judge in the Irkutsk region has sentenced a former detention center warden to five years in prison for abusing inmates, the regional court’s press service said Monday.

Igor Mokeev, who served as the warden of Detention Center No. 1, and his deputy Anton Samara were found guilty of overseeing the abuse of dozens of inmates who had been transferred there following a deadly riot at a penal colony in April 2020.

A judge from the Kuibyshevsky District Court in Irkutsk sentenced Mokeev to five years in prison, while Samara received a sentence of four years and six months. They were both banned from holding a public post for two years.

The court’s press service said the verdict has not yet entered into force, suggesting that the prison terms are subject to appeals. It was not immediately clear whether Mokeev and Samara had pleaded guilty.

A judge granted compensation claims from six victims, each of whom was awarded 350,000 rubles ($4,500) in damages. Claims filed by the remaining 18 victims were referred for consideration in civil proceedings. 

Inmates and prisoner rights activists say the April 2020 riot at Penal Colony No. 15 in the city of Angarsk erupted after a guard badly beat an inmate there. 

In February, 12 inmates received prison sentences ranging from five and a half to 21 years for their roles in the deadly riot.

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