The Volzhsky District Court of Saratov arrested for two months the ex-head of the regional prison hospital (OTB) No. 1 Pavel Gatsenko and the former head of the security department Sergei Maltsev.

This was reported to RT in the press service of the court.

"Gatsenko and Maltsev have been selected as a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of two months, until January 25, 2022," a representative of the department told RT.

She noted that both court sessions at the request of the investigation were held behind closed doors, since Gatsenko and Maltsev are accused of a crime against sexual inviolability.

They were charged under paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Art.

132 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "violent acts of a sexual nature, committed by a group of persons in a preliminary conspiracy or by an organized group."

This article provides for imprisonment for four to ten years.

Earlier, representatives of the human rights project Gulagu.net reported that investigators asked the court to arrest Pavel Gatsenko, indicating that he had previously destroyed evidence in the case and obstructed justice.

It's not just prisoners who are accused

Now the Investigative Committee is investigating 12 criminal cases on the facts of rape, extortion and abuse of office in connection with the situation in the Saratov region.

This was announced earlier by the Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov.

The reason for the initiation of criminal cases was the publication on the network of videos of sexual violence and torture of convicts in Saratov OTB-1.

According to human rights activists, all the recordings were filmed on official video recorders, and the so-called “activists” from among the prisoners were the direct perpetrators of the torture of the convicts.

At the same time, the administration of OTB-1 was aware of the constant beatings, humiliation and rape, according to human rights activists.

After the start of the investigation, according to human rights activists, the activists suspected of torture confessed to two murders in OTB-1, and also testified against the leaders of the hospital.

In the main investigation department of the TFR, which is investigating cases of torture, including those against Gatsenko and Maltsev, RT refused to comment on this information. 

Lawyer Snezhana Muntyan, who represents the interests of victims in torture cases in OTB-1, told RT that Gatsenko and Maltsev were the first officials of the administration who were officially charged.

Prior to this, charges of torture and rape were brought against five inmates.

All of them have already been taken into custody. 

“Three of them were serving sentences for previous crimes at that time.

Vitaly Yanin was released from prison on parole, spent a week at large, and was sent under arrest as accused of torture.

Another prisoner - Radik Gemodeev - has been at large for a long time, but now he is under arrest again, ”the lawyer said.

Frame change

After the torture scandal in the Saratov department of the Federal Penitentiary Service, serious personnel changes took place.

Pavel Gatsenko and Sergei Maltsev were fired back in early October.

Also, Sergey Salov, deputy chief for security and operational work of OTB-1, and Anton Bochkov, head of the operational department, have lost their posts.

In the same month, Colonel Alexei Fedotov, head of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Saratov Region, was fired for "serious miscalculations" in operational and service activities. 

On November 10, the acting regional UFSIN Anton Efarkin said that in total 18 employees were dismissed in the regional department, 11 more people were brought to disciplinary responsibility.

On November 25, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Alexander Kalashnikov.

In his place was appointed Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Arkady Gostev.

According to experts interviewed by RT, the reason for the resignation of Kalashnikov could be a scandal related to torture in OTB-1.

In turn, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Alexander Kalashnikov was removed from the post of head of the Federal Penitentiary Service after his personal appeal.

“I would not establish any direct connection.

This was a personal appeal from the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service.

Verification and investigative actions are now being carried out by the relevant services.

The FSIN is also dealing with this, the prosecutor's office is investigating.

There are indeed problems there, but I repeat once again, it was a personal appeal, ”said Dmitry Peskov.