Lawyers comment on complaints of natives of Dagestan and Chechnya about Ulyanovsk colony

Although the actions of the staff of the colony located in the Ulyanovsk Region, who broke the nozzle on the clipper so that Muslim prisoners from Dagestan and Chechnya could not leave the parts of their hair and beards in accordance with the prescriptions of Islam, do not fall under the notion of "torture", such treatment of prisoners falls under the Criminal Code, lawyers have noted. Human rights defenders have added that at Russian correctional institutions, natives of the Caucasus are prejudiced.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 10, natives of Dagestan and Chechnya complained about torture in the above colony. Rights defenders have stated that colony employees had forced Muslim prisoners from Dagestan and Chechnya to shave off their beards, tortured them and confiscated their personal belongings.

The treatment of Muslim inmates at the Ulyanovsk colony, when they were forced to completely shave off their beards, humiliates their dignity, said Maria Zadorozhnaya, a lawyer of the international legal division of the "Team against Torture"*.

The actions against Muslim prisoners are more related to the article of the Criminal Code "Violation of the right to the freedom of conscience and religion", Aza Alieva, a lawyer, believes. The actions of the colony staff violate the Russian Constitution, she has added.

Based on the complaint of natives of Dagestan and Chechnya about torture at the Ulyanovsk colony, a complaint was sent to the prosecutor's office, Oyub Titiev, a human rights defender, has noted. "Islamophobia is a big problem for the entire penitentiary system. There was information from the Vladimir Region that inmates are not allowed to pray at all," he has added, noting that in colonies, the attitude towards natives of Northern Caucasus differs from the attitude to other prisoners. "Especially to Chechens, Ingushes and Dagestanis," Mr Titiev has explained.

*The "Team against Torture" (formerly the "Committee against Torture" – CaT) was created by the lawyers who had earlier worked for the CaT, which was included into the register of the NCOs performing the functions of foreign agents.