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Russian human rights ombudsman slams Russia's penal system
Interfax
Moscow, 3 December: Russia's human rights ombudsman [Oleg Mironov] has met with members of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), a release issued by the ombudsman's press service reads.
The participants at the meeting discussed issues related to the rights of people in Russian penitentiaries.
Mironov said that "human rights violations by employees of the Interior Ministry and the penal system of the Russian Justice Ministry have reached such an extent" that, in October 2000, he had to prepare a special report stating the facts and recommendations on measures to be taken to stop these violations. "However, no positive changes have taken place since that time," Mironov said.
"Torture continues to be used in Interior Ministry facilities, and the convicts' very situation is at times close to torture," he said.
The Russian ombudsman and the CPT members outlined ways of cooperation aimed at dealing with the existing violations, the document reads.
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