Last autumn, the NGO Gulagu.net published videos showing the torture of prisoners in a Saratov prison, secretly taken out by a former Belarusian prisoner, Sergei Savelyev, who has now sought asylum in France.
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After serving a 7.5-year prison sentence for drug smuggling, Saveyev worked as an administrator for the prison’s internal computer network, giving him access not only to the prison’s own servers but also to other servers in Russia’s prison system.
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They contained, among other things, video recordings of torture carried out by so-called active prisoners on behalf of prison administration officials.
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Saveyev left Russia after coming out of prison.
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Alexander Bastrikin, chairman of Russia’s committee of inquiry, said in a public interview on Thursday that six people had been charged with crimes in prisons.
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“Four convicts have been charged with sexual violence,” Bastrikns told RIA Novosti, adding that two officials had been accused of abuse of power.
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“Their aim was to intimidate and extort,” Bastrikn said, adding that authorities were investigating incidents involving 13 victims.
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A Gulagu.net spokesman told AFP that detainees in Saratov Prison had been tortured for years but turned a blind eye.
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He said the purpose of the violence was to extort money or get prisoners to cooperate with guards.
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