About MCPR

"Valery Abramkin's contribution into protection of human rights of the Russian prisoners and Europeanization of our correctional system is greater than all of the Ministers of Justice and experts for human rights put together."

Gleb Pavlovsky, expert in political science, image maker of President Vladimir Putin. 13.11.2001

"Valery Abramkin believes that victory of the democracy in Russia is impossible without deconstruction of GULAG. But he warns the West against the threat of the global GULAG. He doesn't mean the Russification of the whole planet. GULAG already exists in the West without any held from Russians, this is a kind of 'sweet cake' GULAG nurturing infantilism. GULAG in Russia is a whip-driving GULAG, and in the West they have a "sugar" GULAG. It exists also beyond barb-wire fence of correction camps. "Our task, is the same in the East and in the West: a human shall not be put into a cage, neither with a whip, nor with a sweet cake". He is amazed to see how much Western penitentiary system lacks imagination. "You got the money and a long-established democratic tradition, these are ideal foundations for alternative ideas."

Valery Abramkin stands for a thoroughly worked out humanization of the penitentiary system of Russia, he is against overall amnesty, the reform must be based on a serious sociological research. Destabilization of GULAG would have let to unpredictable consequences for the whole country.

Russia has to find its own way of humanization of the penitentiary system. Inappropriate weakening of correctional measures in prisons had led already to the results just opposite to those premeditated by the reformers and they resulted in worsening imprisonment conditions.

Valery Abramkin is a member of the international PRI organization which established its Utopian goal to achieve the world without prisons. However he personally has a more refined idea: a prison stands in the center of the town as a symbol of human anti-freedom and our children must watch it standing. The prison wall has to be left to stand as some kind of archetypal image for the humanity. Behind the wall the last prisoner is left, or better two, so that they could drink a cup of tea in a company.

Russian guest proposes joint projects to the western colleagues: "We need experts, come to us. Your drug addicts suffer from lack of space, they need strong experiences. We are ready to receive them. We still have a wild nature. "They are guaranteed to receive extreme experiences, Russians, as everybody knows, do not have the sense of golden middle, they specialize in heaven or hell".

Irena Brezhna "Sweet-cake GULAG of the West", Switzerland

The work you are doing is an incredible job and a big help to all those who are behind the bars. Once I have already appealed to your Center for help and you sent me the booklet under the title of “How to write an appeal to supervisory authorities”. I am so much grateful to you. This little book really was very helpful. And at present my sentence is lifted due to the appeal and the case has been remanded for review”.

Andrei B. Oryol, SIZO №1. 21.03.01

“What is really depressing is a complete legal illiteracy of the most of the prisoners. Many of them are not guilty in the offences incriminated to them, and could have won the case in the court hearing if they had had a right defense. By chance I saw your booklet titled “ How to write an appeal to supervisory authorities”, which belonged to the inmate who stayed for a few days in my cell. I didn’t have enough time so I was able only to take a couple of notes out of this booklet. You give very important information to people and they really need it”.

Sergey Nikolaevich Prokoudin. Kemerovo, SIZO №1. 20.12.00

“I am regular listener of your “Oblaka” radio program. Please, could you answer the following questions, which are interesting to many inmates:

1) The prisoner got a pre-term conditional release, and before the end of conditional term he again committed offence. So the remaining 3 months were added to the new term. Can he be conditionally released again and after what period of time?

2) Whether it is a mandatory condition for the release to work in prisons? Or is it enough for a prisoner to behave well?”

V.Smirnova, officer of penal colony №3, Kaluga region. 27.07.01

Due to your booklets some prisoners have managed to lift the unlawful sentences. Those who have your booklets share them with other prisoners to write the appeals. I ask you to send us more booklets of the series “You must know your rights”, 2-3 copies each”.

Alexey M. Pskov region, settlement of Krjuky, Penal colony №2. 24.08.00

Since 1991 MCPR has been holding campaign for the defense of the Human Rights (HR) of the prisoners in Russian SIZOs (pre-trial investigation isolators), and first of all – for protection of their rights to life and health. In the beginning of 1994 our Center prepared the report about situation with inmates in SIZOs. This report was passed to the President of the RF, to the Speaker of the State Duma, UN Human Rights Committee, the European Commission of Human Rights, Amnesty International and the number of other HR Organizations of Russia and western countries within a short time. In State Duma there was established the Commission for monitoring of the observance of HR in SIZOs. In 1994 Russian SIZOs were attended by: members of the Commission of the State Duma (including experts-members of the MCPR), members of the Presidential Human Rights Commission, the UN Special Rapporteur Nigel Rodlly, group of ECHR members headed by the Chamber President of the European Commission of Human Rights, Mr. Stefan Frechsel. All reports of the results of this visit said that conditions of imprisonment in most of Russian SIZOs are equivalent to tortures.

“I spent in Kresty* 8 months. Cells there are a little bigger than the train compartment, and 15 or more people are packed in there. There is no light even, and people get blind, infected with TB, mange. One can’t call it a pre-trial isolator. It is a death factory. After that I came to conclusion that Russian state unleashed genocide against its own people”.

From the interview with a businessman by Valery Nikiforov, 1995. Archive of the Center.

The keep in Russian SIZOs may people who can’t be called criminals: they don’t have their court sentence yet. Many of them are indeed innocent. The conditions of imprisonment in SIZOs without exaggeration must be qualified as a crime, a crime against humanity. It is not by chance that we have recalled the formula of the Nurenberg tribunal: the conditions of imprisonment are not that much different from those in the Nazi death camps”.

From the “Appeal” of Valery Abramkin and Olga Chaykovskaya (the chairperson of the Moscow Society of the Trustees of the Penitentiary Institutions) to the President of the Russia Boris Eltsin and Speaker of the State Duma, Mr. Ivan Rybkin. 4th of July, 1994

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