THREE PRISONS FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST A JOURNALIST

Correctional colonies No. 5, 22 and 37 of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kemerovo Region filed a lawsuit against Andrei Novashov, who is the author of the text published in the Sibir.Realii mass media.

What is more, the human rights activists, who reported about torture in prisons, are among the defendants. It is worth noting that the Sibir.Realii media itself is on the list of foreign media agents.

We are talking about a publication titled “We only have humiliated and bound here. How destinies and spines are broken in Russian prisons”, released in June 2020.

The text retells the stories of former prisoners and human rights defenders - about beatings, extortion and torture. The colonies felt that this material discredited their honor and dignity, and therefore decided to apply to the court. What is more, the representatives of prisons believe that the published text negatively affects the public opinion not only about the activities of institutions, but also about the entire criminal justice system of the Russian Federation.

The plaintiffs demand that the material should be removed and declared untrue; they also want the editorial board to give a refutation. Andrei Novashov himself has already stated that the colonies intimidate journalists by such a lawsuit and try to hide what is happening in prisons.