In Krasnoyarsk Krai, two prisons will close as most convicts have gone to war. This information was shared by the ‘Prospekt Mira’ media outlet on March 21.
Penal colonies No. 16 and No. 7, located respectively in the Gromadsk settlement and Areyskoye village, will close in 2024 along with several other penitentiary facilities. The region’s human rights ombudsman, Mark Denisov, explained that this decision is motivated by economic factors. The penal colonies are closing due to 'a decrease in the number of convicts during the special military operation.'
The colonies were town-forming establishments, and their closure may affect the locals, believes the ombudsman. Moreover, after the end of the war, the Federal Penitentiary Service might need to reopen the facilities.
"Sooner or later, the war will end, and things will go back to the way they were. In five years, we will exceed the limit of the convicts’ rights’ violations, and we will have to deploy new penitentiary facilities. The process will be painful, and the cost will be exorbitant," Denisov fears.
In March, the State Duma adopted the law exempting defendants in criminal cases from any liability if they sign a military contract.
