Russia mulls replacement of migrant workers with prisoners

AKIPRESS.COM - Governors of several regions in Russia are ready to support the initiative of the Federal Penitentiary Service Chairman and to offer well-paid jobs and dormitories to prisoners, Alexander Brod, member of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia, said.
Human rights defenders said the country lacks adequate civil control over functioning of penitentiary system to avoid possible violation of rights of prisoners in case they are provided with jobs in fields and on construction sites.
"Is it a knid of a new GULAG? It's hard to answer this question now," Ivan Melnikov, Vice President of International Committee for Human Rights in Russia, said.
Ivan Melnikov reminded about regular facts of pressure in prisons, corruption in penitentiary system.
"People should not work for some tiny sums. I checke prisons: I was shown receipts showing people were paid 500 months a month for their job," he added
The discussions on this issue continue, experts say.