WSJ.com - Putin's Torture Colonies

Powered by           While they can't compare to the Gulag in terms of scope or percentage of innocent prisoners, pytochnye kolonii are fast approaching it in terms of sheer cruelty. Now reports of torture are systematically ignored or suppressed while regional governments refuse to act on evidence of abuse. Commandants at "general regime" colonies can always threaten misbehaving convicts with transfer to a torture colony -- a useful way of keeping them in line. The Kremlin, too, benefits from the implied threat. "The correct word for this is Gulag, even if it's on a smaller scale," warns Mr. Ponomarev. "This is the reappearance of totalitarianism in the state. Unless we eradicate it, it will spread throughout the entire country."             Click the following to access the sent link:       WSJ.com - Commentary: Putin's Torture Colonies* This article will be available to non-subscribers of the Online Journal for up to seven days after it is e-mailed.                 Get your EMAIL THIS Browser Button and use it to email information from any Web site.           *This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser. http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB120277726156660765-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB120277726156660765-lMyQjAxMDI4MDEyMjcxNzI3Wj.html