Two inmates have been found dead in a prison in Russia's Far East.
Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSDIN) said on November 1 that the two men, whose identities were not disclosed, were found dead in solitary confinement "without traces of violence on their bodies."
The deaths, which occurred in Correctional Colony No. 39 in the town of Chkalovskoye, are being investigated, FSIN officials said.
Spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee's directorate in the Primorye region, Avrora Rimskaya, said that according to preliminary data, the two inmates might have committed suicide.
Conditions in the Russian penal system and violation of inmates' rights there have again come under scrutiny since a video surfaced in July showing at least 17 guards beating an inmate in a prison in the Yaroslavl region. The video was released on the Internet by the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
Fourteen guards from the Yaroslavl prison have been arrested following the wave of public outcry after the video became public. A fifteenth guard, Sipan Mamoyan, was detained on October 31 under suspicion of taking part in the beating, the Public Verdict human rights organization said.
