Prison Subculture as National Culture: When Prison Slang Becomes the National Language
The occasion for this text was a remark by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, made on 24 July 2026 at a press conference
Odessa Pre-Trial Detention Center: The Prihibition of Torture is Absolute. No Exceptions
I have worked on the subject of torture and places of detention for many years, so there was no way I could not
“No Violations Found”: When Documents of the Odessa Pre-Trial Prison Contradict the CPT Reports
I recently received responses from the Odesa Pre-Trial Detention Centre to a lawyer’s request concerning conditions of detention — and these responses prompt
Castes, Forced Labour, and the Failure to Protect: Petrov v. Moldova – A Landmark Case on Informal Prisoner Hierarchies
1. The applicant alleges that he belonged to the lowest caste of “pariahs” in the informal hierarchy that, according to him, prevails in
Sklyarenko v. Ukraine: Justice Delayed and the Price of Political Ambitions
On 30 April 2026, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in Sklyarenko v. Ukraine. The Fifth Section unanimously found a
El Salvador’s Mass MS-13 Trial: Scale, Procedure, and Rights Concerns
On 21 April 2026, a Salvadoran court began the mass trial of over 400 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha criminal gang, commonly
“We’re Implementing Reforms — But We Won’t Show You the Statistics”: Odessa Pre-Trial Detention Center Denies Access to Public Information
On 10 April 2026, the Odesa District Administrative Court opened proceedings in Case No. 420/9112/26. The claimant is Dmytro Yagunov, a lawyer, human
🇱🇻 Visit to Latvia: A Dialogue on Standards for the Treatment of Prisoners and Informal Prison Hierarchies
Yesterday, I had the great honour and privilege of speaking with staff from the Prison Service of the Republic of Latvia. Words can
Silent Complicity of the State: How Strasbourg Once Again Protected a Prisoner from Informal Prison Laws
The case of Petrov v. The Republic of Moldova (Application No. 38066/18) concerns fundamental questions of human dignity, the prohibition of degrading treatment