Yevgeny Makarov was a Russian prisoner who was tortured in prison. In 2018, a leaked video of him being tortured in a Russian prison provoked significant outcry, leading to an official investigation and the conviction of 13 prison guards.[1]
Biography
editIn 2011, he was sentenced to six years and 10 months incarceration in Yaroslavl on charges of robbery and battery.
In 2017, Makarov's lawyer lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights over his treatment in prison. Later that year, a 10-minute video was filmed inside the prison in which over a dozen prison guards were pinning him down on a table and torturing him, including stripping him, physically beating him, and waterboarding him.[2] Following the torture, he was placed in solitary confinement.[3] The video was then leaked to independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, who published it. Following a significant outcry, the Federal Penitentiary Service announced that it would be launching a formal investigation into torture allegations in Russian prisons, and 14 prison guards in Yaroslavl were arrested.[4] Makarov's lawyer was subsequently forced to flee Russia after receiving death threats.[5][6]
In October 2018, he was released from prison.[7] In November 2020, 13 people were convicted of abuse of office over his case, with sentences up to 51-months. However, both the prison director and the deputy prison director were acquitted of the charges against them.[8] In July 2022, Makarov died of pneumonia at the age of 29.[9]
References
edit- ^ "UN Tells Russia to Rein in Torture, Report on Efforts". The Moscow Times. August 10, 2018.
- ^ "Russian prison torture victim 'brought back to life four times'". Sky News.
- ^ "Olga Romanova: Yevgeny Makarov's Life Is in Danger". December 17, 2017.
- ^ Sandford, Alasdair (October 2, 2018). "Torture in Russian jails - what we learned from the Makarov case". euronews.
- ^ "Three Russian guards plead guilty to mass beating of prisoner". the Guardian. July 25, 2018.
- ^ EECARO, Amnesty International (July 23, 2018). "Russia: Lawyer covering torture case flees country after threats". Amnesty International.
- ^ "Russian Whose Prison-Torture Claim Caused Outcry Is Freed, Says He Is 'Damaged'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
- ^ "Russian court acquits prison bosses in high-profile torture case". November 19, 2020 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ Times, The Moscow (July 26, 2022). "Prison Torture Victim Dies From Pneumonia – Reports". The Moscow Times.