Gulagu.net
| Available in | Russian, English, French |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Founder(s) | Vladimir Osechkin |
| URL | gulagu |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Active |
Gulagu.net (Russian: ГУЛАГу — нет, lit. 'No more GULAG!') is a Russian anti-corruption, anti-torture, pro-human rights organisation and website.
It was founded in 2011 by Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin. Gulagu.net has published videos of beatings and torture in Russian prisons and helped Russian defectors flee the country.
History
It was founded in 2011 by Russian human rights activist and expat Vladimir Osechkin.[1] The website is anti-corruption, and anti-torture human rights advocacy organisation.[2] The name of the site translates to "No more gulag".[3]
In 2023, Gulagu.net helped Russian defector Andrey Aleksandrovich Medvedev, a member of the Wagner Group, flee Russia to seek asylum in Norway.[4]
Russian prison torture video
In October 2021, after eight years of collecting evidence,[1] Gulagu.net published over a thousand videos of beatings and torture in prisons throughout Russia.[5][6] A large amount of the videos were leaked by prison inmate IT specialist Syarhey Savelyeu who helped operate computers in the prison. Following the leak Savelyeu fled Russia to seek asylum in France. A warrant was issued for his arrest.[7]
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian Government, stated that the Russian government was going to investigate both the videos for authenticity and the prisons for evidence of human rights violations.[8] Following a criminal investigation, Russian authorities confirmed the allegations and fired several high ranking prison officials.[9]
Various members of the Russian Senate submitted bills regarding prison conditions and the amount of criminal cases involving prison torture and rape doubled.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "About the Project Gulagu.Net". Gulagu-net.ru. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ Goble, Paul A. (11 October 2021). "GULAGU.Net exposes systemic torture and rape of prisoners in Russia; regime responds with investigations and denial of service attack on portal". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ Osechkin, Vladimir (16 October 2021). "SAVE SERGEY S.V.P. Asile politique. No more GULAG!". Gulagu-net.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Ottesen, Oda Eggesbø (17 January 2023). "Kven er Medvedev?". NRK (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Prosvirova, Olga (20 October 2021). "Russian inmate who leaked torture videos alleges death threats". BBC News. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (6 October 2021). "'Unprecedented' Video Leak Shows Rampant Torture at Russian Prisons – NGO". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Russia Issues Arrest Warrant For Prison-Torture Whistle-Blower". Radio Free Europe. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ "Russia investigates prison torture allegations after videos leaked". 6 October 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Russia fires prison officials, investigates reports of 'systemic' abuse". France 24. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2025.