Waynakh Online has received a disquieting e-mail from the relatives of prisoners in the Omsk Penal Colony-2, from Ingushetia and the occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Apparently, there has been no change in prisoner conditions since the end of 2010.
Here is the e-mail:
I appeal to all humanitarian organizations and people of goodwill.
For several months, I have been in contact with my relative who is serving his time in the Omsk Penal Colony-2. He cannot always express himself openly on the phone, but he still finds a few minutes to talk while the guards aren't keeping their eye on him.
He is a native of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and is imprisoned for 14 years, 7 years of which he has already served. At the same time, he has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, but unfortunately we have to wait for the start of the hearing. To our great dismay, we are not sure that he will make it until the decision as he has tuberculosis, a kidney infection, as well as his physical weakness, as is the most dangerous thing afflicting all Chechen and Ingush prisoners who were put in the detention centers for no reason. My cousin was able to tell me that they are subjected to torture and physical violence from the guards of the colony.
My relative is not someone who complains a lot, but since they've been closed in the detention centre, he became very nervous and started to ask all visitors for help on facilitation of the conditions for all Chechen and Ingush prisoners and not to publicize their names.
I won't be able to contact him anymore but he managed to warn his wife that he was put in solitary confinement.
He has asked me to convey their message to all human rights defenders and organizations such as Memorial and the Amnesty International:
"We are deprived of any possibility to report the information about these happenings to any officials or media. We consider this as a miracle to be able to transmit this desperate cry for help to the public opinion. We realize that after the propagation of this message, our lives will be in danger. But we have no more strength to suffer such inhumane mockery and torture. Help!"
I think that these people were sentenced to a specific punishment, but not to violence or torture by the employees of federal agencies.
Please consider this message as an official appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia, Federal Service of the Punishment Execution of Russia, and the administrations of the Chechen Republic and Republic of Ingushetia.
In my letter, I am not specifying the names of those Chechen and Ingush prisoners, because naming them means signing their death warrants.
26.08.2012
In the name of the prisoners of the Omsk penal colony 2 (PC-2), born in the Chechen Republic and Republic of Ingushetia
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
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