Vladimir Osechkin

Vladimir Valeryevich Osechkin (Russian: Владимир Валерьевич Осечкин; born 14 June 1981, Samara) is a Russian-born human rights activist who operates the anti-corruption website Gulagu.net from Paris, the city to which he fled in 2015.[1][2][3]

Vladimir Valeryevich Osechkin
Владимир Валерьевич Осечкин
Born(1981-06-14)14 June 1981
Samara, Soviet Union
NationalityRussian
CitizenshipRussia
Alma materSamara State University
OccupationCivil rights activist
Known forhis participation in the Russian opposition and human rights movement
Website@MrGulagunet

Biography

In November 2021 Osechkin was placed on a wanted list by Russian state after leaking a large archive of documents, photos and videos with hundreds of cases of rape and torture of inmates in Russian prisons directed by prison officials.[4] The archive was collected by whistleblower Sergei Saveliev. Osechkin also used a number of other sources in Russian prisons and the FSB.[5] As a result of Osechkin's activities, 18 Saratov regional prison employees have been fired and five criminal cases have been initiated following an internal review.[2]

In August 2022, Osechkin urged former Russian soldier and dissident Pavel Filatyev to flee the country with the help of Gulagu.net, which Filatyev did on 13 August 2022.[6] Later Osechkin has announced that Gulagu.net would be pausing the programme for helping dissident soldiers flee Russia due to Pavel Filatyev "admitting to hiding information about the murders of Ukrainians," as well as refusing to uphold his promise of sending the money Filatyev would receive from writing his war memoir to Ukrainian funds.[7]

References
  1. High-ranking Russian officials are defecting. This man is aiding them. by Melissa Bell, Saskya Vandoorne and Joseph Ataman, CNN, January 25, 2023.
  2. "Russia Adds Founder of Prisoners' Rights NGO to Wanted List". The Moscow Times. 12 November 2021.
  3. "Горячая линия и контакты проекта Gulagu.net (Our Contacts)" [Hotline and contacts of the Gulagu.net project (Our Contacts)]. gulagu-net.ru. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  4. Russia adds prison rights campaigner to wanted list after torture videos leak, 2021-11-12 by Reuters
  5. Vladimir Osechkin. Interview with an ex-FSB agent about the war and the "Death Factory". YouTube video (Russian), by Odesa Film Studio
  6. Andrew Roth & Pjotr Sauer (17 August 2022). "'I don't see justice in this war': Russian soldier exposes rot at core of Ukraine invasion". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  7. "Проект Gulagu.net приостановил программу "эвакуации" из РФ раскаявшихся силовиков: один из них оказался причастным к военным преступлениям". Current Time TV. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
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