MOSCOW, October 8 (RAPSI) – Russia’s federal human rights commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has received 291 complaints related to the use of force and special tools in penitentiary facilities since the beginning of 2019, according to the ombudsman’s press service.

Thorough checks have been conducted on all applications, the statement reads.

Between January and August, 10 criminal cases were launched over illegal use of force and special tools in detention centers and prisons, Moskalkova said at the meeting with the delegacy of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

During the meeting, the Russian ombudsman proposed measures aimed to improve penal and correctional systems, including introducing of the national preventive mechanism in Russia.

Moreover, she pointed several important legislative transformations, namely release of seriously ill prisoners from serving sentence in custody, transfer of inmates to prisons near their places of residence and fixing of the concept «tortures» in Russia’s Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes, according to the ombudsman’s press service.

Moskalkova also noted that certain proposals on the criminal and correctional system humanization made by her have already become legislative acts. Thus, last year, the law on divisible calculation of time in detention was adopted.

Members of the European delegacy in turn said the ombudsman’s institution in Russia plays an important role in prevention of tortures and inhuman treatment of people and pointed the effectiveness of its cooperation with the Committee, the statement reads.