A verdict has been handed down for those involved in the torture of Caucasian nationals in a Saratov prison hospital.

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The court has sentenced the defendants in the case of torture of people from the North Caucasus Federal District and the South Caucasus in a tuberculosis hospital in Saratov. Former hospital director Gatsenko was sentenced to 21 years, former convict Ananyev, who worked as an orderly, received a life sentence, and the others were sentenced to terms ranging from 12 to 22 years.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in December 2023, the Saratov Regional Court received a case alleging the torture of prisoners, including those from the Caucasus, at the Regional Tuberculosis Hospital No. 1 of the regional Federal Penitentiary Service in Saratov. Charges have been brought against two former FSIN employees and six prisoners.

The Moscow City Court sentenced Pavel Gatsenko, the former head of the Saratov prison hospital, to 21 years in prison after finding him guilty of torturing prisoners, RIA Novosti reported on December 30.

Other defendants in the case also received prison terms. Former head of the security department, Sergei Maltsev, was sentenced to 16 years in prison; orderly Sergei Linkevich was sentenced to 16 years in prison (a total of 18 years). Convicted prisoners Alexander Kraynov, Ildar Mukhametzyanov, and Vitaly Yanin, who participated in the torture, were sentenced to 12, 17, and 22 years in prison, respectively. Former prisoner Sergei Ananyev, who worked as a hospital orderly, was sentenced to life in prison.

Another defendant in the case, Viktor Sheyanov, was found dead in his cell at Matrosskaya Tishina Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in December 2024. No traces of any kind were reportedly found on his body. According to the Moscow Federal Penitentiary Service, Sheyanov died due to chronic illnesses. Caucasian Knot compiled information on high-profile cases of violence and torture against people from the Caucasus in prisons and correctional facilities in the article "Vicious Circle: What is Known About the Torture of People from the Caucasus in Penal Colonies?" Caucasian Knot also reported that a former prisoner from Dagestan and the brother of a prisoner from Azerbaijan reported that convicts were admitted to the Saratov prison hospital not because of health problems, but as punishment for misbehavior and disobedience. The medical facility had established a whole torture system involving the transfer of prisoners who had fallen out of favor, their meetings, and a subsequent torture schedule. After the publication of video evidence, new appeals and complaints from prisoners regarding torture emerged, the lawyer stated.

As a reminder, the FSIN Directorate for the Saratov Region previously filed a complaint with the regional bar association against lawyer Aza Aliyeva, who represents the prisoners' interests. The agency demanded that Aliyeva be disciplined, calling her interview about torture in Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in the Saratov Region "defamatory to her honor, dignity, and professional reputation." Aza Aliyeva, having received notification from the chamber, stated that the FSIN had no right to file a complaint against her with the chamber. She noted that a similar complaint against her colleague, Snezhana Muntyan, was filed by one of the defendants in the torture case at the Saratov tuberculosis hospital.