Social media users criticize "Roskomnadzor" for demand to block story about Gisaev's torture

The "Roskomnadzor" (the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media) has demanded from the YouTube to block the video by Adam Gisaev, a native of Chechnya and a former prisoner, telling about torture at the Irkutsk SIZO (pre-trial prison), which was posted on the channel of the human rights project Gulagu.net. Commentators in social networks have urged authorities to check Gisaev's story instead of blocking the video.

The video was posted in January. Now, its address is on the register of prohibited websites. In the video, Gisaev tells that for about a year he had been kept in the dungeon (punishment cell) and given no food because he spoke out against torture of other prisoners. He also stated an attempt to stage his suicide, the "Gazeta.ru" writes.

According to Gulagu.net, more than a hundred prisoners were beaten up at the same SIZO.

"For the fact that a person was troubled and tortured, the 'Roskomnadzor' demands to ban the truth – to keep it and not to let it go," the user opeyron99 has noted in his comment.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Alexander Valov, the editor-in-chief of the website "BlogSochi" had complained about the unbearable custody conditions at the Irkutsk colony. He claimed that he and other convicts were kept in a bunker without warm clothes; their personal belongings were taken away; and inmates were placed into the dungeon for trumped-up reasons.

A native of Chechnya, Khumaid Khadaev, complained about torture after prisoners' riot at the Angarsk colony in 2020. His advocates demanded from the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) to check the information about torture.