Nurgaliyev has allowed human rights activists to speak with detainees under supervision

The Head of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rashid Nurgaliyev, has issued an order explaining the mechanism for human rights activists or other public organisations to inspect the conditions of detention for those arrested and temporarily detained in remand centres, special reception facilities, centres for minors, and other detention premises.

“Rossiyskaya Gazeta” notes that this refers not to labour colonies or prisons, but to “establishments” under the jurisdiction of the police. These are temporary detention facilities for suspects and those accused, special reception facilities for holding persons arrested on administrative grounds, temporary detention centres for juvenile offenders, and other premises for detainees. For example, one category of such places is colloquially known as “monkey houses” and exists in almost every police department.

As NEWSru.com writes, the number of all these reception centres and facilities is several hundred, and hundreds of thousands of people pass through them. For comparison: there are 222 pre-trial detention centres in Russia, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, housing about 160,000 people.

Human rights activists and public commissions already had the right to visit these institutions according to Russian legislation. However, until now, there was no effective mechanism for applying this right. Rashid Nurgaliyev’s new order is an instruction on application: what requests and documents are needed for a commission visit, which officials are obliged to make the decision, who must accompany them, which detainees can be interviewed and under what conditions, whether they can be photographed, and how to film the premises.

After the minister’s order, the publication points out, public monitors will be able to appear for an inspection in any police detention facility. As the Ministry of Internal Affairs believes, this will help not only to reduce the number of abuses but also to solve some of the material problems of the regime facilities.

Meanwhile, the order does not contain instructions on “surprise” visits. The document speaks of notifications about planned visits to places of detention, which must be immediately brought to the attention of the heads of the places of detention.

In addition, as stated in the order, the administration of the place of detention ensures conversations with suspects or the accused on issues of ensuring their rights in places of detention in conditions that allow a representative of the administration of the relevant place of detention to see and hear them.

“Rossiyskaya Gazeta” publishes the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, in which it is clearly and detailedly explained how human rights activists or other public figures can inspect the conditions of detention of those arrested and temporarily detained.