Russia to revive Stalinist prison system. "It will enable investigations to be more effective"
In 1996, Russia joined the Council of Europe, which demanded that Moscow separate its investigative bodies from its prisons, because otherwise investigators would still be able to put pressure on prisoners. In April 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring FSB prisons, including Lefortovo, to the Ministry of Justice. However, according to Agentura.ru, prison officers previously employed by the FSB began to be transferred to the FSIN. Formally on the FSIN staff, these officers continued to report to their former superiors.
Most of them have retained their positions to this day. Russia's membership in the Council of Europe was suspended immediately after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now Moscow is announcing a return to the Stalinist prison system. This is a blow to European values.
— The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) will be able to have its own pretrial detention centers (SIZO) to hold people suspected and accused of state treason, espionage, terrorism and extremism. A group of deputies and senators has submitted a relevant bill to the State Duma, said the head of the State Duma Committee on Security and Combating Corruption, Vasily Piskarev.
He recalled that after Russia joined the Council of Europe in 2006, the FSB detention centers were transferred to the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN).
— The experience of recent years has shown that the decisions taken earlier in accordance with the suggestions of Western "partners" in order to adhere to "European values" did not contribute to improving the level of security in our country and effectively combating dangerous crimes , Piskarev said. According to him, after Russia unleashed a war against Ukraine, the intelligence and subversive activities of foreign special services and the terrorist and extremist communities controlled by them "multiplied" in the country.
According to his data, from 2015 to 2024, the number of cases initiated on treason, espionage, terrorism and extremism has tripled, and the number of suspects and defendants in custody in such cases has quadrupled. — Detaining these people in FSB-controlled detention centers "will make it possible to improve the effectiveness of investigations into criminal cases of this category" and prevent foreign intelligence and terrorist organizations from establishing connections with spies and terrorists under investigation, Piskarev concluded.
More than half of Russians said this about the war with Ukraine. Moscow cannot be pleasedThe war in Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin three years ago, has worsened the lives of 54 percent of Russians , according to a survey conducted by Chronicles to mark the anniversary of the invasion. Only 9 percent of citizens said the so-called “special operation” (SVO) had a positive impact on their daily lives, while 32 percent saw no change. What else do Russians say about the impact of the armed conflict on their lives? You can read more about it HERE .
The article was based on a translation of text from The Moscow Times.
Thank you for reading our article to the end. Stay up to date! Follow us on Google News.
fakt
