MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is aware of media reports about instances of torture in Russian penitentiaries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"They [reports] have been brought to his knowledge. Furthermore, they have become the grounds for some quite active, vigorous verification activities on the part of competent agencies. One has to wait for the results of these [initial] inquiries," Peskov told reporters in response to a question as to whether the information has been brought to the Russian president's knowledge, and whether he has any firm stance on the situation in Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service.
In early October, the founder of a human rights project said that the project acquired and took outside of Russia over 1,000 Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) videos that confirm systemic torture in Russian penitentiaries and detention facilities in the Irkutsk, Saratov, and Vladimir regions. These include materials showing alleged torture at FSIN Regional Tuberculosis Hospital No. 1 in the Saratov region.
The footages sparked a public outcry.
The Russian Investigative Committee has launched seven criminal inquiries into sexual violence and abuse of power involving violence.
FSIN Director Alexander Kalashnikov has fired the head of the FSIN branch in the Saratov region, Alexei Fedotov, FSIN Regional Tuberculosis Hospital No. 1 chief Pavel Gatsenko and another three of his subordinates.