Izolyatsia prison explained

The premises of the former Izolyatsia (Ukrainian: Ізоляція|lit=isolation|translit=Izoliatsiia, Russian: Изоляция) factory and art centre are used as a torture prison in Donetsk, Ukraine, created after the city's capture in 2014 by Russian armed forces.[1] [2] The prison was established after representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) seized the site of the Izolyatsia Arts Foundation and converted it into a closed site of the State Security Ministry of the DPR.[3] [4] Izolyatsia functions as a training facility for DPR fighters as well as a depot for automobiles, military technology and weapons.[5] [6] The prison has secret status[7] as detainees are convicted by illegal DPR courts without proper investigation.[8] [9] There are numerous known cases where Izolyatsia inmates only gave confession after being tortured.[10] [11] [12]

History

The building was constructed in 1955 as a factory for processing raw mineral cotton and was later adapted to produce stitched mineral cotton slabs, mineral cotton wool, basaltic fiber, basaltic cardboard, basaltic mates, and slabs on basaltic basis. The factory closed in 1990.[13] From 2010 to 2014, the Izolyatsia Foundation, centered around the creative arts, occupied the site.[14] The name of the arts organization is taken from that of the factory and its main product, insulation, and also means "isolation". "Izolyatsia" is one of 160 illegal prisons in the Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Seizure of the Izolyatsia Foundation site

On 9 June 2014, armed representatives of the DPR invaded the Izolyatsia Foundation site. Roman Lyagin, who participated in the seizure, and who was Russia's head of the "Donetsk People's Republic" "Central Electoral Commission"[15] claimed that the premises were necessary to store humanitarian aid received from the Russian Federation.[16] According to Leonid Baranov, who was the State Security Minister of the DPR[17] at the time, the Izolyatsia Foundation's site was seized for ideological reasons: It was thought that the Foundation's values would bring harm to the DPR.[18] Liubov Mikhailova, Izolyatsia Foundation's founder, claims that infrastructure played a part since Izolyatsia is a 7.5ha developed site.[19]

According to the data presented in the DRA's report and the media initiative for human rights, the Vostok Battalion settled on the site in June 2014 and prisoners of war and civilian hostages were kept on the premises.[20]

Conditions

According to the testimony of former prisoners, the offices and basements of the former factory were reequipped as jail cells with five-litre cans for toilets. A few of the administrative buildings were used by the staff of the Izolyatsia prison as torture chambers.[12]

Former prisoners have remarked that the Izolyatsia buildings are not equipped to serve as a prison,[21] and that its conditions more closely resemble those of a concentration camp.[22] [23] Prisoners are forced to work for the wardens, who regularly use physical violence, and are deprived of food, water,[4] and medical care.[4]

From 2014 to 2016, as many as 100 prisoners were held in basement cells at any one time. Izolyatsia lacked bunks and toilets, so prisoners used plastic water containers for waste.[24] By 2017, there were still no toilets in the cells located above the basements, so prisoners were led to a separate building to use the toilets twice a day.[4] Prisoners could lose toilet privileges.[4] In July 2017, at the initiative of one of the prisoners, the prison cells were renovated and toilets and sinks were installed. Nevertheless, in many of the buildings—the two isolation cells and the sixth cell, called the "luxe"—conditions did not change.

According to the report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the period from 16 November 2019 to 15 February 2020, the individuals detained in Izolyatsia underwent torture, including electric shocks, mock executions and sexual violence. In accordance with the report, representatives of the DPR's state security ministry carried out interrogations there. The journalist Stanislav Aseyev, who was held in the Izolyatsia prison from 2017 to 2019, stated that acts have been carried out there would qualify as war crimes.[25] He described the torture leading to suicide attempts of several prisoners.[23]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the prison "continues to function as a literal concentration camp, in Europe in the 21st Century".[26]

Notable prisoners

In 2014, there were more than 100 prisoners in Izolyatsia.[23] [27] Dmitrii Potekhin,[22] Valentina Buchok, Galina Gaeva,[9] and Stanislav Aseyev[28] have all been held in Izolyatsia.

Roman Lyagin case

In June 2019, Lyagin was apprehended by representatives of the SSU.[29] Lyagin was accused of participation in a terrorist organisation, infringement of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and treason for his role in organising a referendum regarding the status of the DPR, the results of which were not recognised by Ukraine, the European Union or the United States.[30] Lyagin was also implicated in the seizure of the Izolyatsia Foundation's site by the DPR.[31] Representatives of the foundation and former captives of the Izolyatsia prison insist that Lyagin is personally responsible for the seizure of the site and its transformation into a secret prison,[32] but Kyiv's Shevchenkovskyi Court has not recognised the foundation or the former Izolyatsia prisoners as an injured party in the Lyagin case.[12]

Propaganda

Photographs and videos were produced at Izolyatsia showing ISIL fighters alongside soldiers from the Ukrainian Azov Battalion.[33] An investigation conducted by BBC journalists with assistance from Wikimapia established where the shoot took place and refuted the material as fake.

Creative works

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Russia: Izolyatsia, the Kremlin's Master Detention Facility . 27 January 2024 . 11 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111172458/https://ishr.org/russia-izolyatsia-the-kremlins-master-detention-facility-2/ . live .
  2. Web site: Izolyatsia Must Speak . 2024-03-24 . Izolyatsia Must Speak . en.
  3. Web site: Боевики ДНР захватили донецкую "Изоляцию" . 8 October 2020 . Украинская правда . ru . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122021155/https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2014/06/9/7028511/ . live .
  4. Web site: Prisons and torture houses of Donetsk: Izolyatsiya factory . 8 October 2020 . jfp.org.ua . en . 26 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220126154944/https://jfp.org.ua/rights/porushennia/violation_categories/nezakonni-mistsia-nesvobody/rights_violations/tiurmy-ta-kativni-donetska-zavod-izoliatsiia?locale=en . dead.
  5. Web site: "Там исчезают люди". Как арт-объект "Изоляция" превратился в пыточную . 8 October 2020 . Украинская правда . ru . 19 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200819183623/https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/articles/2020/02/24/7241046/ . live .
  6. Web site: На заводе "Изоляция" в Донецке оккупанты устроили концлагерь, – СМИ – новости Еспресо TV Украина . 8 October 2020 . ru.espreso.tv . 9 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009122429/https://ru.espreso.tv/news/2019/10/27/na_zavode_quotyzolyacyyaquot_v_donecke_okkupanty_ustroyly_konclager_smy . live .
  7. Web site: Ті, хто досі в неволі . 8 October 2020 . tyzhden.ua . 24 April 2020 . en . 15 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210115193610/https://tyzhden.ua/Society/242944 . live .
  8. Web site: Украина требует включить вопрос донецкой "Изоляции" в повестку дня ТКГ . 8 October 2020 . РБК-Украина . ru . 10 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201010053912/https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/ukraina-trebuet-vklyuchit-vopros-donetskoy-1598438383.html . live .
  9. Web site: "DPR" secret prisons employ torture experts, not random people: ex-captives . 8 October 2020 . www.unian.info . en . 6 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201006211308/https://www.unian.info/war/10753155-dpr-secret-prisons-employ-torture-experts-not-random-people-ex-captives.html . live .
  10. Web site: Kazanskyi . Denis . 19 November 2019 . Узники "Изоляции". Свидетельства людей, прошедших через пыточную ДНР . www.youtube.com . 8 October 2020 . 11 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200911051402/https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=3gudFzDrx-c&feature=emb_logo . live .
  11. Web site: 10 January 2020 . Стас Асеев. Первое интервью после плена . www.youtube.com . 8 October 2020 . 26 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201226023021/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5SJUBZsA68 . live .
  12. Web site: Ivanov . Sergii . 10 June 2020 . Концтабір "ІЗОЛЯЦІЯ" Документальний фільм . www.youtube.com . 8 October 2020 . 10 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211110033612/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRv_Ui_A4VQ . live .
  13. Web site: 15 July 2020 . What is 'Izolyatsia' and IZONE? • Ukraїner . 8 October 2020 . Ukraїner . 19 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919152214/https://ukrainer.net/izolyatsia-and-izone/ . live .
  14. News: Де і як утримують людей бойовики угруповань "ЛНР" і "ДНР" (рос.) . 8 October 2020 . Радіо Свобода . 2 October 2018 . uk . 16 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210616092710/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/donbass-realii-okupatsiya-polon-ldpr/29521168.html . live .
  15. News: Суд не визнав "Ізоляцію" постраждалою стороною у справі Лягіна . 8 October 2020 . Радіо Свобода . 17 December 2019 . uk . Свобода . Радіо . 16 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201016101824/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-izolyaziyu-sud-ne-vyznav-poterpiloyu-storonoyu/30330383.html . live .
  16. Web site: Seymat . Thomas . 10 June 2014 . Armed pro-Russian separatists seize "decadent" cultural centre in Donetsk . 8 October 2020 . euronews . en . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024144225/https://www.euronews.com/2014/06/10/in-donetsk-armed-pro-russian-separatists-target-seize-decadent-cultural-centre- . live .
  17. News: Искусство фейка: арт-центр в Донецке превратили в "базу ИГИЛ" . ru-UA . BBC News Україна . 8 October 2020 . 19 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419123650/https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-russian-38179522 . live .
  18. News: Belton . Padraig . New battleground in Donetsk: 'We've thrown this so-called art in the garbage bin' . 8 October 2020 . The Irish Times . en . 12 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201112003130/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/new-battleground-in-donetsk-we-ve-thrown-this-so-called-art-in-the-garbage-bin-1.1987537 . live .
  19. News: Засновниця "Ізоляції": ми були чужими для "ДНР" . uk . BBC News Україна . 8 October 2020 . 2 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202105619/https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-40227810 . live .
  20. Web site: Katrychenko . Tetyana . Military and civilian detainees in Donbas: searching for the efficient mechanism of release . 8 October 2020 . civicmonitoring.org . 8 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308115603/https://civicmonitoring.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ENG-DRA-report-donbas-web.pdf . live .
  21. Web site: Donbas militant responsible for secret Donetsk 'concentration camp' goes on trial in Ukraine . 8 October 2020 . Human Rights in Ukraine . 25 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925103622/http://khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1567472962 . live .
  22. Web site: Донецк в изоляции . 8 October 2020 . Зеркало недели Дзеркало тижня Mirror Weekly . 4 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210204181625/https://zn.ua/SOCIUM/doneck-v-izolyacii-335373_.html . live .
  23. Web site: Освобожденный из плена Асеев описал пытки в донецкой "Изоляции" . 8 October 2020 . Украинская правда . ru . 14 April 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200414143536/https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2020/01/28/7238691/ . live .
  24. Web site: Шла бы лесом ваша ДНР — валю в Россию . 8 October 2020 . Газета.Ru . ru . 27 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200927134131/https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2015/10/14_a_7820639.shtml . live .
  25. Web site: 6 April 2020 . "Борг перед потерпілими": від Верховної Ради вимагають ухвалення закону про воєнних злочинців ZMINA . 8 October 2020 . zmina.info . uk . 6 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200806092841/https://zmina.info/articles/vid-verhovnoyi-rady-vymagayut-uhvalennya-zakonu-pro-voyennyh-zlochyncziv/ . live .
  26. Web site: Ukraine minister highlights concentration camp and persecutions . 23 February 2022 . 24 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220224055442/https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60454795 . live . <
  27. News: У Донецьку в підвалах арт-центру "Ізоляція" сепаратисти утримують заручників – засновник фонду . 8 October 2020 . Радіо Свобода . 24 October 2014 . uk . Свобода . Радіо . 10 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175458/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/26652819.html . live .
  28. Web site: "In Isolation", or why the book of "DPR" detainee and journalist Aseev should be read by human rights activists . 8 October 2020 . jfp.org.ua . en . 5 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405043822/https://jfp.org.ua/blog/blog/blog_articles/20?locale=en . dead .
  29. News: Спецслужби затримали екс-голову "ЦВК ДНР" Лягіна . uk . BBC News Україна . 8 October 2020 . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024124502/https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news-48634552 . live .
  30. Web site: Шевченківський суд перевів у закритий режим процес над колишнім "главою ЦВК ДНР" Лягіним . 8 October 2020 . LB.ua . 4 May 2020 . 28 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200528022446/https://lb.ua/pravo/2020/05/04/456753_shevchenkovskiy_sud_perevel_zakritiy.html . live .
  31. News: Що відбувається у справі бойовика Романа Лягіна, якого звинувачують в організації катівні . 8 October 2020 . Радіо Свобода . June 2020 . uk . 9 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200809215724/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/30646914.html . live .
  32. Web site: Фонд "Ізоляція" звернувся до Зеленського через справу організатора "референдуму ДНР" . 8 October 2020 . www.ukrinform.ua . 5 May 2020 . uk . 24 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924190126/https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3019552-fond-izolacia-zvernuvsa-do-zelenskogo-cerez-spravu-organizatora-referendumu-dnr.html . live .
  33. News: Искусство фейка: арт-центр в Донецке превратили в "базу ИГИЛ" . ru . BBC News Русская служба . 8 October 2020 . 23 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201023000231/https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-38109630 . live .
  34. News: Станіслав Асєєв. "В ізоляції" . 8 October 2020 . Радіо Свобода . uk . 21 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211021135051/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/29275008.html . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Izolyatsia prison".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.