"I was then dragged into the office where, continuing to be beaten, my trousers were torn off and I was threatened with rape unless I stopped complaining." Sergei Malygin's testimony of torture at IK-1, 2015. Source: Territory of Torture.The deeper you go into the woods, the darker it gets. My colleagues and I at Territory of Torture have received more complaints from Karelia’s IK-1 prison colony. These complaints concern not only beatings and humiliation, but even (excuse the expression) “a stick up the arse” — anal rape with a baton or other instruments. Over a dozen current prisoners from IK-1 and around the same number of former prisoners have spoken of their experiences of torture at this prison colony.
Our investigation into tortures at IK-1 began with Aleksandr Nikolaevich Zaytsev, otherwise known as “Arkhara”. Zaytsev went on the record about a number of beatings he suffered, despite the fact that he had just undergone heart surgery. Prison officers also extorted money from him, “squeezing” him for cash. Zaytsev even reported the murder of a prisoner, which took place in May 2015. Zaytsev’s complaints have been sent to Russian investigators, we have the necessary receipts.
We sent a lawyer, Natalya Vasilkova, to speak with Aleksandr Zaytsev. In discussion with her, Zaytsev reiterated his complaints and provided further details. Our colleague also managed to speak with another prisoner, who gave testimony but was extremely afraid and requested that rights defenders from Moscow visit IK-1:
