Today, on 18 May 2021, judge of the Semenovsky District Court Nikita Kivkutsan passed a judgement of conviction with regard to former convict of Penal Colony No.14 Vladimir Vinogradov. As it was established by the court, in 2012, while fulfilling the request of the administration of the penal colony concerning supervision and monitoring the convicts, he beat up Aleksandr Kalyakin to death. The convict was declared guilty of the charged crime and was sentenced to nine years of prison term with serving the sentence in a maximum security penal colony. In addition, due to the established facts of improper performance of their duties by the executive officers of this penal establishment, the court issued a special ruling with regard to the head of the Chief Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Nizhny Novgorod region on taking necessary measures aimed at preventing such cases in future.
As we have previously reported, Penal Colony No.14 (Nizhny Novgorod region, Sukhobezvodnoye settlement) became notorious due to a large number of complaints against brutal treatment and tortures of convicts, as well as numerous cases at Penal Colony No.14 investigative detention facility when confessions were forced applying violence and violent actions of sexual character.
More information on what Penal Colony No.14 was like when Vasily Voloshin was its head, you can learn from Mediazona’s material as well as on the special website dedicated to the search of Vladimir Voloshin, who is on the international wanted list.
On 15 September 2015 Sergey Kalyakin applied to human rights defenders for legal assistance – his son Aleksandr died on 18 July 2012 in Penal Colony No.14. Extract from posthumous expert examination of Aleksandr Kalyakin testifies of numerous bodily injuries which were revealed on him: “Closed blunt craniocerebral injury, fractures of 5th, 6th ribs on the left and 5th on the right, 6 bruises of the back surface of the neck. 2 bruises of the gluteal region with hemorrhaging into soft tissues. Two bruises of the left lower leg. Bruise of the right thigh. “Florid bruises” of the anterior abdominal wall, right shoulder, projections of the thigh joint. Bruise of the left part of the frontal region with hemorrhaging into soft tissues of the left part of the frontal region. Hemorrhaging into soft tissues of the lumbar region. Contused wound of the right external ear”.
Despite the described bodily injuries, the official special reports of Penal Colony No.14 superiors with regard to these deaths feature one and the same preliminary diagnosis: “acute cardiovascular inefficiency”.
The criminal case with regard to the death of Kalyakin was opened on 31 March 2015. According to the investigators, in both cases a crime under part 4 Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Russia (“intended infliction of grave bodily harm causing the victim’s death by negligence”) was committed.
The investigation of both criminal cases was suspended three times due to impossibility to identify the culprits. However, subsequently all the rulings on suspending were quashed by higher superiors due to incompleteness of the investigation.
After the application of lawyer with the Committee Against Torture Sergey Shounin, representing the interests of the father of deceased convict Kalyakin, during personal appointment with head of the regional Investigative Department Andrey Vinogradov, this case was withdrawn from the proceedings of the Semenovky Interdistrict Investigative` Department for checking, based on the results of which it was decided to conduct further investigation by forces of regional investigators.
On 23 March 2020, former convict of Penal Colony No.14 Vladimir Vinogradov was apprehended on suspicion of committing a crime provided by part 4 Article 111 of the Criminal Code of the RF (“intended infliction of life-threatening grave bodily harm, which led to the victim’s death by negligence”).
As it was established by the investigative authorities, on 20 April 2011, Vladimir Vinogradov was sent by the administration of Penal Colony No.14 to Section No.7 “in order to supervise and monitor the convicts arriving to the penal colony”, where repeatedly beat up newly arrived Aleksandr Kalyakin.
The investigative authorities established two episodes when Vinogradov beat up Kalyakin. Allegedly improperly made bed became the excuse for the beating.
That is how these episodes are described in the ruling on involvement of Vinogradov in the case in the capacity of a defendant:
“17.07.2012, from 06 hours 00 minutes to 08 hours 00 minutes V.N.Vinogradov, В.Н., when he was in the store room located in dormitory No.5 of the Penal Colony No.14, executing a criminal intent with the use of life and health threatening violence, made a series of no less than 15 blows on A.S.Kalyakin with hands, feet and a rubber truncheon, used as an instrument of crime, including in the area of vital organs of the victim: head, chest, neck, buttocks, left lower thigh and right thigh.
On 18.07.2012 from 06 hours 00 minutes till 08 hours 00 minutes, V.N.Vinogradov, continuing his design aimed at inflicting grave bodily harm to A.S.Kalyakin, after the latter made his bed in an improper, according to V.N.Vinogradov, manner, while at the store room near dormitory No.5 of Penal Colony No.14, acting intentionally and using violence with the use of life and health threatening violence, hit the victim with a fist of the hand and a rubber truncheon, using as an instrument of crime, made no less than four blows in total, including in the area of vital organs: head and back”.
After the affirmation of the indictment at the Prosecutor’s Office the case was submitted to the Semenovsky District Court of the Nizhny Novgorod region. On 1 June 2020, the first hearing took place.
Today, judge of the Semenosky District Court of the Nizhny Novgorod region Nikita Kivkutsan passed a ruling with regard to Vladimir Vinogradov. He was declared guilty of battery of Aleksandr Kalyakin which resulted in his death and sentenced to nine years of imprisonment with serving the sentence in a maximum security penal colony.
A civil suit that was filed by the victim against Vladimir Vinogradov on compensating the moral damage in the amount of one million rubles is satisfied in full scope.
“Today, the court also satisfied the motion of the state prosecutor on passing a special ruling with regard to the head of the Chief Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service for the Nizhny Novgorod region – according to the Prosecutor’s Office representative, it is due to improper performance of their duties by Penal Colony No.14 officers that made it possible to apply violence against the convict, – lawyer with the Committee Against Torture Sergey Shounin comments. – That is why after this verdict comes into legal force we shall be insisting on initiating criminal proceedings against Penal Colony No.14 officers, as well”.