In Kalmykia, penal colony warders refuse to confess to participating in torturing prisoners from Dagestan

Four arrested warders of the penal colony refused to confess that they had participated in the torture of natives of Dagestan Magomed Atimagomedov and Daud Kuramagomedov. One more warder refused to answer questions. An advocate filed a motion for a face-to-face interrogation with other law enforcers, whom Magomed Atimagomedov identified.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in September 2022, investigators instituted a criminal case for inciting mass riots against prisoners from Dagestan Magomed Atimagomedov and Daud Kuramagomedov, who were accused of attacking penal colony warders. According to the advocates’ version, their clients were severely beaten in the penal colony. On January 17, the human rights project “Gulagu.net” announced a fundraiser to pay for advocates for Daud Kuramagomedov and Magomed Atimagomedov. Five employees of the penal colony were arrested on suspicion of using violence against prisoners. The beaten people said that they were being tortured by about 40 people, most of them were not taken into custody, advocate Aza Alieva said.

According to Aza Alieva, one of the prisoners detained on the charge of torture refused to testify, and the rest stated that they were not involved in torture.

Speaking about the murder of an employee of the penal colony, in which Magomed Atimagomedov and Daud Kuramagomedov were accused, Aza Alieva noted that her client admitted that he planned an escape from the penal colony, but not a murder.

Advocate Snezhana Muntyan suggested that the penal colony warders refused to admit their guilt in the hope of an acquittal.

Snezhana Muntyan added that Magomed Atimagomedov and Daud Kuramagomedov were threatened with charges of terrorism “for praying and reading the Koran.”