The head of Penal Colony no. 7 has resigned after activist Ildar Dadin alleged that he had been subjected to torture by prison staff, Gazeta.ru reports, with reference to a source in the Federal Penitentiary Service.

The newspaper quotes its source as saying that “Kossiev is no longer head of the colony: his duties are being performed by his deputy Alexander Serov.” The source goes on to add that the agency is also considering the possibility of increasing the protection provided to Kossiev’s family. “He was advised to remove all information about himself and his relatives from social media, and to refrain from leaving the company of his colleagues when travelling around Segezha,” said the source. “There are also fears for the lives of his family, who have also been receiving online threats.”

Dadin, who became the first person in Russia to be convicted for repeatedly violating rules for holding demonstrations, revealed on November 1 that he was being tortured and beaten.

After the publication of Dadin’s allegations in the media, the Investigative Committee and Prosecutor’s Office took the situation under control.

The Federal Penitentiary Service confirmed that physical force was exercised against the activist on at least one occasion, claiming that Dadin “crudely refused to leave his cell or to assume a frisk position” and “grabbed [prison] staff by their uniforms.”

The FPS later reported that it had recorded a video purporting to show Dadin denying any instances of torture and beatings. Independent doctors who examined Dadin failed to find evidence of beatings.

This article was first published in Open Russia