The Labytnangi City Court has ruled unlawful an investigator’s refusal to take steps to grant state protection to Azat Miftakhov after his reports of torture in Penal Colony No. 18 in Kharp. RusNews reported this.
The case became public in early May. According to the mathematician, immediately after being transferred to the Arctic colony he was tortured: shocked with electricity, beaten on the heels, and threatened with rape.
A prosecutorial review, as previously reported, found no violations. A medical examination carried out two weeks after the alleged abuse also recorded no bodily injuries.
At the same time, Miftakhov said colony staff repeatedly demanded that he sign a statement saying there were no threats against him. He refused, stressing that
“he does not feel safe [in Penal Colony No. 18] at all”
RusNews also writes that prison officials did not allow his lawyer to independently send an application for state protection on Miftakhov’s behalf. In that request, the defense asked that he be protected from employees of Penal Colony No. 18 and transferred to another correctional facility.
According to the defense, state protection measures were also meant to shield the alleged victim and witnesses from possible criminal prosecution. In court, the investigator argued that Miftakhov had to file the request personally, and that a lawyer could do so only if the client was “in a helpless condition”.
According to the lawyer, the court’s ruling now requires the investigator to re-examine Miftakhov’s torture allegations in the colony.