Insurance against torture in prisons has gone on sale in Russia
In Russia, relatives of convicted prisoners have begun to be offered paid “insurance” services that are supposedly intended to protect inmates from unlawful actions by the administrations of detention centers and prisons, as well as from violence by other inmates.
This is reported by Izvestia.
These services are advertised by the “Orthodox Center for Spiritual Assistance and Legal Protection.” The organization’s website claims that inmates in Russian correctional facilities are subjected to abuse, and that independent appeals to state authorities can only worsen the situation.
The organization claims that it draws up an “insurance” contract for the prisoner themselves and allegedly sends a copy of the document to the facility’s administration to be added to the prisoner’s personal file. In the event of injury, this, according to them, should allow for an independent forensic medical examination and the filing of lawsuits.
Similar services are also offered in specialized Telegram groups, where “lawyers” promise a quick response in cases of violations of prisoners’ rights or denial of medical care. The cost of such “policies” ranges from a few thousand to tens of thousands of rubles per month.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation reported that it had allegedly foiled an assassination attempt against the leadership of Roskomnadzor, which, according to their version, was being prepared with the involvement of Ukrainian special services.
The FSB also detained several young men in connection with a protest involving bloody hammers near the homes of officials.
