Gulagu.net
 | |
| Available in | Russian, English, French |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Founder | Vladimir Osechkin |
| URL | gulagu |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Active |
Gulagu.net (Russian: ГУЛАГу — нет, lit. 'No more GULAG!') is a France-based human rights organisation and website.[1]
It was founded in 2011 by Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin. Gulagu.net has published videos of beatings and torture in Russian prisons and helped Russian defectors flee the country.
History
It was founded in 2011 by Russian human rights activist and expat Vladimir Osechkin, who claimed political asylum in France four years later.[2][3] The organisation advocates against torture and corruption in Russia.[4] The name of its website translates to "No more gulag".[5]
In October 2021, Gulagu.net published over a thousand videos of torture in prisons throughout Russia.[6][7] Many of the videos were leaked by prison inmate IT specialist Syarhey Savelyeu who helped operate computers in the prison. Following the leak Savelyeu fled Russia to seek asylum in France. A warrant was issued for his arrest.[8] Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that they were going to investigate both the videos for authenticity and the prisons for evidence of human rights violations.[9] Following a criminal investigation, Russian authorities confirmed the allegations and fired several high ranking prison officials.[10]
In 2023, Gulagu.net helped Russian defector Andrey Aleksandrovich Medvedev, a member of the Wagner Group, flee Russia to seek asylum in Norway.[11]
In October 2025, French authorities reportedly detained four men who were suspected of planning to kill Gulagu.net founder Osechkin in Biarritz, the city he had been residing in since 2015.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ "Rights Group's Leader Identifies Man Who Revealed Shocking Videos Of Alleged Torture In Russian Prisons". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
The French-based founder and leader of the Gulagu.net human rights group, Vladimir Osechkin, has identified the man who handed him part of a video archive of alleged torture and sexual assaults in Russian prisons earlier this month.
- ↑ "Russia Adds Founder of Prisoners' Rights NGO to Wanted List". The Moscow Times. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "About the Project Gulagu.Net". Gulagu-net.ru. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ↑ Goble, Paul A. (11 October 2021). "GULAGU.Net exposes systemic torture and rape of prisoners in Russia; regime responds with investigations and denial of service attack on portal". Euromaidan Press. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ↑ Osechkin, Vladimir (16 October 2021). "SAVE SERGEY S.V.P. Asile politique. No more GULAG!". Gulagu-net.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ↑ Prosvirova, Olga (20 October 2021). "Russian inmate who leaked torture videos alleges death threats". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ↑ Sauer, Pjotr (6 October 2021). "'Unprecedented' Video Leak Shows Rampant Torture at Russian Prisons – NGO". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ↑ "Russia Issues Arrest Warrant For Prison-Torture Whistle-Blower". Radio Free Europe. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ "Russia investigates prison torture allegations after videos leaked". www.bbc.com. 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ↑ "Russia fires prison officials, investigates reports of 'systemic' abuse". France 24. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑ Ottesen, Oda Eggesbø (17 January 2023). "Kven er Medvedev?". NRK (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ↑ Bisserbe, Noemie; Luxmoore, Matthew (17 October 2025). "The Attempted Assassination of a Russian Dissident Is Foiled in France". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 15 July 2026.