At the end of March 2024, the mathematician and anarchist Azat Miftakhov was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in a criminal case for “justifying terrorism”. Miftakhov pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The case itself emerged after a prisoner, whom the anarchist considered a close friend in the colony, testified against the mathematician. The defence and Azat himself have repeatedly stated that the case is fabricated. A former prisoner who was held with Miftakhov recounts to “Novaya Gazeta –Europe” how the security forces “cooked up” the desired testimonies against the anarchist.
Before the end of the last term on the case of “hooliganism” for a broken window at the office of “United Russia” in Moscow (sentenced to six years of imprisonment under the Article 213, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – Editor’s note) occasionally, information that a new case is being prepared against Miftakhov was circulating. But there was nothing concrete back then. Initially, Azat was detained in February 2019 for the case of the explosives found in Balashikha - the investigation found no evidence back then, but the case was not closed; there were also suggestions that they are planning to charge Miftakhov in the “Network” case. And all this was accompanied by pressure on the mathematician himself: police officers were visiting him, threatening with new charges and demanding he give them the right testimony, while right before the release, placed him in solitary confinement. But Azat refused to cooperate with the security forces. And as we know, they don’t accept rejections, and realize their threats with particular cynicism.
In September 2023, Miftakhov was detained at the exit from the Kirov’s colony, when his term in the case of hooliganism expired. The day after his arrest, the mathematician was sent to prison, being accused of justifying terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 1). The case was led by Ponomarev A.A., the FSB investigator for the Kirov region. According to him, during his stay in the colony, Miftakhov, while watching TV with other prisoners, endorsed the act of Mikhail Zhlobitsky, who organized the explosion in the Arkhangelsk department of FSB in 2018.
“Implementing his criminal intent, while being in the room of the educational work <...>, he intentionally and with the aim to acknowledge the practice of terrorism as rightful and in need of support and imitation, during a conversation with the convict Trushkov E. A., in the presence of Hajimuradov R. E. and "Naumov Andrei Nikolaevich" (pseudonym of the secret witness) as well as other convicts, publicly made these statements, - as stated in the case file. In fact, those three were those who testified against Miftakhov.
The announcment of Azat Miftachov's sentensing in Golovisnki Regional Court. Photo: Kommersant Photo Agency / Sipa USA / Vidapress
During his closing statement in the Central District Military Court of Yekaterinburg, Azat said that the security forces falsified the evidence in his case “the same way they did five years ago”, “the obviousness and impudence of such falsification doesn’t bother them, even plays into their hands.” He categorically denies the imputed crime and explained that he argued with other prisoners about the capture of the city of Bakhmut, but didn’t say anything about Zhlobitsky. His current term Azat is serving in Dimitrovgrad prison of Ulyanovsk region.
About how colony’s staff put pressure on the anarchist - but he did not break - and how the prison guards were persuading other prisoners to testify against Miftakhov, Timur, a former prisoner of Kirov IK-17, shared with “Novaya Gazeta –Europe”.
Meeting Azat
I found myself in the colony completely rightfully - for the organization of an escort agency (Articles 240 and 241 - involvement and organization of prostitution). There is no secret here, but also there’s nothing to be proud of either. I was quite far from political participation, here our paths with Azat didn’t cross. He came to the colony about a year and a half after me. Before he came from quarantine to the prison, people already knew about him - that he received a record high six-years sentence for hooliganism. They don’t give that much to first-time offenders. No one in the colony warned us that he was a political prisoner, just by word of mouth they said that he will come with such sentence. The nuance was different: they immediately passed around the word that an “obizheni” (the lowest rang in prison hierarchy, associated with homosexuality) will arrive, so, there should be no contacts with him and he should be treated accordingly.
We crossed paths at work. I was interested in seeing what type of guy he is, to received such a huge sentence for that offence. There were rumours that he set fire to the office of United Russia, well, I thought, that’s our guy, and tried to get into contact with him.
Initially, Azat did not talk. He didn’t say anything about himself, was very secretive, but he was pretty much the only one in the eyes of whose you could see intellect. He stood out among other convicts. That meant that he is a man you can discuss with. The man is interesting.
As Azat himself told me later, while he was on quarantine, during talks with the cops he was “presented with one fact” and they could silence that “fact” if he gives the right testimony. Otherwise they will pass around this “fact” into the masses and he’ll enter the jail as “obizheni”. Azat answered back that administration official can’t talk to him in prison jargon, that’s forbidden, let alone explaining him some sort of prison rules and hierarchies. I don’t admit anything, do what you want, I don’t care” – Azat added. That audacity astonished them. Azat consciously took such a step, not wanting to associate himself with this system. He was later complaining that they wanted to link him to a high-profile case (Network) that he had nothing to do with.
Torture in the Colony
Due to his contentious status we were not forbidden to communicate with him. It’s not the type of colony where all sort of poniatiia (prison quasi-law) are enforced. That’s a regime zone. Almost everything works as described in the “book” (internal regulations). That’s not a “red” zone, where those who work for the prison administration do what they want, nor the “black” one where everything works by poniatiia. Obviously, there were beatings and tortures. The region is a tough one, the colony is a torture colony - a death trap.
When I first arrived to the zone, there was one guy in quarantine with me. There is a search, letters, books are being torn, everything you brought with you is being brazenly destroyed. I don't know why the prison guard didn’t like this dude. He was put naked in the swallow position, hands stretched out, forehead touches the wall, a glass of water placed on the back of his palm and the guard tasing him in areas where traces would not be visible: that’s balls and ass. They would beat him, he would twitch, the glass would fall, after what they would be punching and kicking him. The execution would continue until the man held onto the glass. This, obviously, is impossible. They were torturing in order to suppress ones will. The moment you enter the colony the prison stuff would make it clear who has the power there. It didn’t matter if you talked to them with respect or not. Almost all prisoners went through torture. I was also subjected to physical violence, but mine was, let’s say, a reasonable minimum, they beat me a little bit.
They would torture not only during the first acquaintance. At the end of 2022 an officer brought a convict to the storeroom. They beat him along with other guards, poured zelyonka (brilliant green) on him and shaved his head. The convicts decided to reach out to the Investigative Committee (IC).
Then, people from the IC came to us and told us that we can appeal as much as we want. At the end, we’ll get a couple of years added to our sentences for defamation, and that’s all. The guard will never get anything – they were advising – don’t make this harder for you and let us do our job.
It's going to be bad for everyone. It is impossible to complain somewhere, because any correspondence passes through the censor.
All letters are opened, and if they contain something negative, then the person who wrote the complaint is called to the operations room and is beaten until he changed his mind. The same goes with phone calls.
Azat Miftachov Photo: телеграм-канал FreeAzat!
The betrayal, contract for "SVO" and escape
It had been a long time since I talked to Azat. When I started finding out about him, it turned out that there was also a Tatar fellow countryman of Azat in the colony. He was jailed for terrorism under A. 205. It so happened that we both empathised with Azat. To the extend it was possible, he was given the maximum respect from the rest of the prisoners. If someone tried to pick on Azat - and there were few such attempts - then the issue would be solved quickly. There was a conflict once, in the early 2023, when some drug addict Tajiks, with zero intelligence and zero of everything, messed with Azat over his status.
Among this group of “obizheni” was a dude named Trushkov. He had a long sentence of 12 years for group rape with aggravating circumstances. Let’s say, not a human. He was immediately put there (in the caste of the “obizheni”).
In May 2022, Azat did the impossible by the standards of the colony. Every year they organize a Victory parade on the parade ground. In order to get a promotion and somehow ingratiate themselves, convicts build tanks and wagons with some improvised means. On the 9th of May the prison director comes out and takes the parade. The cons march, singing songs. Some kind of fucking circus! Next to them cops are standing, laughing over what is happening. They said that this doesn’t happen anywhere else. Azat categorically refused to participate in this circus. To say that everyone was surprised is an understatement. It was a shock. Obviously, he was locked up in solitary confinement.
However, prison guards didn’t turn Azat’s life into a complete nightmare. They were afraid of him because they saw the support and the power that stood behind him. Azat was often sent parcels, some math books, a lot of letters.
They were given to him selectively. Although they should be giving him everything. I mean, these are regular employees from the village nearby. They've never seen anything like this. In order not to get in trouble, they tried to avoid him.
In September, Prigozhin flew to the colony to recruit convicts. They were recruiting everyone except those who were convicted for all sorts of “sexual-gender- based” articles, and drug addicts. Also the “obizheni.” Prigozhin then said that those who will go with him now will get the best equipment and money. After them, he said, the beggar Russian army will come, but you will still go to the battlefield. Well, as time showed, he was right.
In February 2023, I was released from prison, but I was in touch with the colony. At that time, they were already recruiting anyone at hand. Prison guards begun to trick people. Trushkov and two more “passengers” (witnesses in Azat’s case of Azat, Hajimuradov and Naumov) were offered the opportunity to sign a request to send them to the “SVO”. They still had a lot of time left behind bars anyways. They agreed, and they were told that what they needed to do to get it: testify against Azat. This all was happening literally two months before my release. It was clear that the net was closing in around Azat, and he was feeling it: he began receiving visits from all sort of people from the “firm”. They made it clear that it wouldn't end for him that easy. They don’t drag people to the operations room, just for nothing. Someone saw one of them, told to someone else, and now the whole barrack knows that Truskov went to the operations room. Then two more were seen.
I was already released when I heard about Azat’s detention at the exist of the colony. He was allowed to hug his family for five minutes and taken to the police department. I communicated with the colony. They saw how he was admitted by the convoy guys.
At that moment, I was busy leaving the country. There was literally no contact with Azat. I knew he had a wife - Lena, but I didn't know her. We met thanks to the telegram group in support of Azat. Occasionally, I was seeing there inadequate comments: someone tried to get smart about Azat’s status and on all sorts of prison topics. I want to tell you how it really was, for the sake of justice.
Trushkov later tried to get in touch with Lena, offering money. His conscience troubles him a lot. Through one of his “obizheni” friends, I learned that he eventually escaped from the battlefront, and now is on the run. It turns out, he betrayed those who hired him, and those with whom he was there.
The announcment of Azat Miftachov's sentensing in Golovisnki Regional Court. Photo: Kommersant Photo Agency / Sipa USA / Vidapress
Three against the prison regime
The main contingent of the imprisoned in the colony are gypsies, dudes who stole a cow or bicycle, drug addicts. Just pure darkness. Finding a person to simply talk to - other than to drink chifir and smoke with - is very difficult. Why did we talk? Azat was eyeballing me for a long time. All three of us, we were different: me, the Tatar and Azat. The Tatar is an Islamic fundamentalist, a fanatic. Azat is an anarchist, a leftist. I have very different views. Taking into account that the 70% of colony’s rapists and drug addicts are non-Russians, I never hid my nationalist views. And yet we managed to talk and discussed what was happening in the country and in the world. If a person is a shit and hangs around cops, you avoid him. But there are also incorrigible romantics like Azat. I was telling him that directly, as it is, and he was honest with me, too. I appreciate that. And I respect him immensely for the actions while in quarantine and on the 9th of May. He demonstrated indomitable will. His intellect, spirit and metal backbone worth as much as hundreds prison thugs.
We were not hiding our communication with Azat, despite his status. He had no risks. On the contrary, we had. For example, we talked about literature: he gave me a book from hand to hand. And I take it. I provoke the prison community. I did it consciously to see if any of those bastards can say anything to me. But they didn't dare to touch me, I had the respect.
Azat and I could argue for hours about politics and our views, not recognizing each other’s right. But not to prove something to someone, but to distract ourselves from this routine and feel that life doesn’t end here. And of course, we will win. We – meaning a tiny opposition of three. The fight against the prison regime brought us together. And it's not over yet.
Address for letters: Miftakhov Azat Fanisovich 1993, 433513, RF, Ulyanovsk region, city Dimitrovgrad, st. Kalugina, d. 66, FKU T-1. It is available to send a letter by F-LISTO and ZT services.
Monetary assistance:
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