Aleksei Demin
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2022-018-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2022
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 35.126413
Longitude: 33.429859
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Cyprus
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- UN Treaty Bodies: CAT
- Dates of prior UN action
- 8 September 2021
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Male
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
Detained individual
- Type of rights defended
- Civil/political rights
- Reported trigger of reprisal
following information from the Committee to the State party on 15 July 2021 that it had decided to examine the admissibility of Mr. Demin’s complaint under article 3 of the Convention
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Treaty Bodies: CAT
- Type of attempted engagement
- Submission of information to UN
- UN raised case of person/organization
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- Since 15 July 2021
- Location of mentioned reprisals
- Nicosia Central Prison, Cyprus
- Reprisal information
- On 8 September 2021, the UN Committee against Torture addressed allegations of psychological and physical pressure as reprisals against Mr. Aleksei Demin, held in the Nicosia Central Prison, following information from the Committee to the State party on 15 July 2021 that it had decided to examine the admissibility of Mr. Demin’s complaint under article 3 of the Convention (Ref: G/SO 229/31 CYP(1)).
- Since 15 July 2021, Mr. Demin has reportedly been subjected to constant psychological and physical pressure by other detainees, allegedly ordered, instigated and encouraged by the prison administration. Since that time, several detainees have repeatedly demanded that Mr. Demin withdraws his complaints to the Prisons Board and to the Committee against Torture and have reportedly provoked him into fights during his daily walks. Mr. Demin has also been threatened by prison authorities with a transfer to a block with convicted inmates if he did not do withdraw his complaints.
- Fearing for his safety, Mr. Demin withdrew his complaint to the Nicosia Central Prisons and the Prisons Board. Despite this, reprisals have allegedly continued, reportedly with the aim of forcing him to also withdraw his complaint to the Committee against Torture. Two other detainees, who had previously agreed to testify as Mr. Denim’s witnesses, were also reportedly threatened with reprisals by the prison authorities. The Committee expressed concern that the allegations of ill-treatment may be related to Mr. Demin’s complaint submitted to it.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Deterioration in detention conditions
- Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
- Physical attack: Physical attack - General
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- No
- Government response dates
- 30 May 2022, 30 June 2022
- Government response content
On 30 May 2022, the Government responded to the Committee rejecting categorically the ill-treatment allegations following complaints by Mr. Denim highlighting that they are factually incorrect. The Government stated that Mr. Demin declined to call the police for an investigation into the reported threats for his complaints, despite being asked several times in his mother tongue by the Police. It also informed that the Police initiated in several occasions investigations to address Mr. Demin’s claims and that he expressed no wish to mention anything. It also informed that Mr. Denim has freedom of movement enjoying everyday life like any other prisoner, and that he expressed no complaints about the conditions of his detention. The Government additionally indicated that it had already provided information to the Committee in a number of replies in January and March 2022. 22. On 30 June 2022 the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report reiterating its reply to the Committee against Torture (see above) and highlighting its main factual elements.
- Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
- No
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 0