Penitentiary Service In Siberia Removes Rights Groups From Inmate Torture Cases June 03, 2021 12:15 GMT In March, nine other probes were launched against prison officers over alleged torture of inmates in several penal colonies in the region. Share share Print IRKUTSK, Russia -- Activists say Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) in the Siberian region of Irkutsk has used a legal maneuver to keep lawyers from human rights groups from defending cases of alleged torture in the region's jails and penal colonies. Rights activist Svyatoslav Khromenkov told RFE/RL on June 3 that three lawyers for the Siberia Without Torture group had received official letters from the FSIN saying they had been given the status of witnesses in high-profile torture cases, which under Russia law makes it impossible for them to defend the inmates.