VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Russia was shocked by the leaking of videos of sexual violence and torture of prisoners in the country's penitentiary. According to Russian prison inspectors, this has become a systemic culture in the Russian prison system and has happened more frequently.

As reported by the AFP news agency, Thursday (7/10), the leaked video evoked memories of the deadly riots that took place in a high-security prison in the Siberian region in April 2020. After the photos and videos were circulated to the public, the Russian Investigative Committee has promised to thoroughly investigate this case. Russia's Federal Correctional Service has also fired five senior prison employees, including one of its directors.

This is not the first time Russia's penitentiary system has come under scrutiny for violence. In July 2018, a video circulated the torture of an inmate named Yevgeny Makarov in Yaroslavl prison. At that time, the Russian authorities arrested 14 perpetrators.

In response to this case, Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Torture, Jens Modvig urged Russia to process all cases of violence in the Russian penitentiary system.

The call  for an investigation should also be followed by an urge to immediately reform the system in correctional institutions so that this incident does not repeat anymore. It is said that the death rate of prisoners due to torture in Russia is one of the highest in Europe.

The case of the leaked video has also been known by President Vladimir Putin. Through his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, President Putin has urged the investigation to be carried out quickly and sedately.

It is necessary to be careful in dealing with such cases, especially in determining the authenticity of the material as evidence for further investigation. Those who are guilty must be punished according to the laws of the country. It is known that anyone who commits a crime of sexual violence in Russia carries a maximal sentence of 10 years in prison.