Kazakhstan: monitoring commissions cover up rape in colonies

Another outrageous fact of violation of prisoners’ rights in the colonies of Kazakhstan was published by human rights activist Elena Semenova. She was talking about the rape of prisoners in the strict regime colony AK-159/6, located in the village of Dolinka in Karaganda region.

“The Prosecutor General’s Office, the Penitentiary System Committee, urgently pay attention! Important! No delay! The situation is abnormal. What must happen for you to take action? I trust the mothers of the convicts; I trust the relatives of the convicts. They can’t invent such a situation. Are degenerates and perverts getting a job at your institution? The more you write runarounds, the worse the situation becomes,” Semenova wrote on her Facebook page.

The screenshots of messages, sent to Semenova via WhatsApp by the relatives of convicts serving sentences in Dolinka, were attached to the post.

“Hello. I am the mother of the convict Dmitry Tsergibel, born in 1993, serving his sentence in the institution 159/6. I am asking for urgent help, because what is happening in the institution defies common sense. On February 17, 2021, my son called me. He managed to say that the convicts Azamat Ibragimov, Nikolai Kovalev, together with the prison administration, are engaged in sodomy (rape),” Olga Shishova wrote.

“I ask you to take measures against the administration of AK159/6, which is using physical and mental violence against convicted Sultanbek Kubiev, born in 1980. The colony employees use ПР-73 (ACCA: it’s a rubber truncheon 65-70 cm long), rape with it in the anus. There are repeated complaints. The applicant is E. Kubiev, the brother of the convict,” another message said.

“On the night of February 16-17, 2021, two guys were raped. The rapists threatened my son that he would also be raped the next night. I also learned from other relatives of the convicts that two of those, who had been raped, were in intensive care. It’s not possible to send complaints from prison. The administration is hindering in every possible way,” the third appeal says.

It should be noted that human rights activist Semenova published her post on February 17 at 19:36. It’s very important.

The next day, the Department of the Penitentiary System of the city of Karaganda published a refutation of the post of the human rights defender:

“We would like to inform you that in the institution AK-159/6 of the Penitentiary System Department in Karaganda region the facts of unlawful actions against the convicts S.B. Kubiev, D.A. Tsergibel and O.K. Ibragimov were not committed. On February 17 of this year, employees of the Department of the Anti-Corruption Service, together with representatives of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for supervision and legality in penitentiary institutions in Karaganda region, conducted a survey and physical examination of these convicts. No bodily harm was found. In addition, we inform you that representatives of the Public Monitoring Commission in Karaganda region visited this institution. During the conversation with some convicts, including convicted S.B. Kubiev, no complaints or statements from the convicts were received by the representatives of the Public Monitoring Commission. The convicts denied the use of violence and other facts of unlawful influence,” the text of the refutation says.

It follows from this message that the examination and questioning of the convicts for rape was carried out even before Semenova published her post. This conflicting data has drawn attention to many defenders of prisoners’ rights.

Meanwhile, members of the Public Monitoring Commission, whose visit was reported by the Penitentiary System Department in Karaganda, also published their report on the visit to AK-159/6, in which they confirmed the statements of the Penitentiary System Department:

“There are convicts in the hospital who are being treated for illnesses. There are self-injuries, post-operative ones … In a bed, in the quarantine zone of the hospital, there was a guy, born in 1995. Two days ago, he arrived from the city hospital of Shakhtinsk. Now he must stay in quarantine zone for 15 days. When I asked why he had punched his stomach, he said that he wanted the Prosecutor General to come to him, because he didn’t trust regional and special prosecutors … We went to the disciplinary isolation ward, where Manas was closed for security reason. We visited him during our last visit. The guy has changed, got better, was recovering from the swallowed nails (there were 8, now – 2). He said that he was feeling well.

I asked:

– Are you on a hunger strike? (His mother wrote on FB that he was on a hunger strike)

– No, why do you think so?! I’m fine, thanks.

So, the question comes to mind, “Who constantly provokes relatives by giving them false information?”

The terminals started working in the institution. They can submit an appeal to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office, security service, the Penitentiary System Committee, the Anti-Corruption Agency and courts. The register records that four people have already filed complaints.

At the end of visit, there was an appointment on personal matters. Here, we met convict K. (ACCA: Kubiev), about whom later, in the evening, after our visit, the human rights activist wrote that he had been raped. During our meeting, he said that everything was fine with him. He had no injuries and no complaints either. And the guy’s appearance didn’t give reason to doubt the veracity of his words. He was neatly dressed, calm and enough confidently informed that he had his own personal human rights defender Semenova. If there are difficulties, he will turn to her. She came to him for a short date in 2020, and he thinks that he will find money to pay for her visit this year as well. Everyone has the right to choose who to call for help. There is no forcing kindness.

In general, the visit was interesting …. I believe that you should believe, after all, your own eyes, what you saw yourself, and not, without seeing, that someone wrote or said something to someone,” one of the members of the Public Monitoring Commission wrote in her report.