RFE
25 Nov 2021, 19:15 GMT+10
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Aleksandr Kalashnikov as director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), the Kremlin said in a statement, after disturbing videos of torture and rape inside a jail were leaked.
Putin replaced Kalashnikov with Arkady Gostev, a former deputy interior minister.
Kalashnikov has also been subjected to Western sanctions over the jailing of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny. He served as prison chief for only two years.
The reason for Kalashnikov's dismissal was not specified, but it came after dozens of videos of torture from inside a prison in the central city of Saratov were published recently by Russian human rights group Gulagu.net.
SEE ALSO: Russian Rights Group Issues More Videos Of Alleged Rape In Prison
'The incidents of torture in the colonies and pretrial detention centers of the Saratov region and other regions, which received a wide public response, became the main reason for Kalashnikov's resignation,' an unnamed source told Interfax news agency.
The videos were smuggled out of the prison by a former inmate, Belarusian IT engineer Syarhey Savelyeu, who has since fled Russia and asked for asylum in France. Russia placed Savelyeu on a wanted list last month, but then removed him from it.
SEE ALSO: France Urged To Grant Asylum To Russian Prisons Whistle-Blower
Earlier this month, FSIN said it had dismissed 18 officials in the Saratov region in connection with the videos and opened several investigations.
The Kremlin had previously called for the case to be investigated.
Russia's huge prison network has long been known as a place of torture and sexual violence inflicted on inmates, according to human rights groups, but the videos cast new light on abuses.
With reporting by AFP
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Paris Guardian news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Paris Guardian.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
MOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: At a two-day summit over the weekend, the BRICS bloc of emerging economies issued a joint declaration condemning...