Russian Federation.
18. By a letter dated 20 May 2005 and sent through informal channels, the applicant informed the Court that on 16 May 2005 wardens Ch., Ya. and O. had had a conversation with him. According to the applicant, they told him that the Court had started its examination of the application lodged by Messrs Khyzhiny and that they did not want the applicant to complain about conditions of detention in Russian correctional colonies to the Strasbourg Court. They ordered him to write statements addressed to Mr Zheludov, head of the Federal Service of the Execution of Sentences in the Republic of Udmurtiya, and to Mr Mardanshin, a prosecutor. The applicant was to affirm that he had no complaints about the conditions of detention. The applicant refused and allegedly endured beatings for three days and received death threats. According to the applicant, there was no physical evidence of ill-treatment because he had been refused access to a doctor. On 19 May 2005 the applicant gave up and signed the declarations.
19. In his letter of 20 May 2005 he requested the Court not to accept any statement similar to the above, should the Government produce one.
E. The alleged opening of the Court's letter
and seizure of its enclosures
20. By a letter of 10 May 2005 the Registry of the Court informed the applicant that notice of his application had been given to the Russian Government. The applicant was invited to designate a representative in the proceedings before the Court. The letter contained several enclosures, such as a statement of facts, questions to the parties, an information note to applicants on the proceedings after communication of an application, an authority form and a list of Russian bar associations to which the applicant could apply for representation before the Court.
21. By letter dated 30 May 2005 the applicant informed the Court that on 26 May 2005 a co-detainee had handed him the Registry's letter of 10 May 2005. The envelope had been unsealed. It contained the letter and the questions to the parties. Considering that certain documents were missing, the applicant requested the prison administration to explain why the letter had been opened. According to the applicant, on 26 May 2006 he had been placed for four months in so-called "PKT cell-type premises" [помещение камерного типа] with a stricter prison regime because of his questions.
F. Inquiries into the events of 16 and 26 May 2005
1. Internal Inquiry
22. On 27 June 2005 the applicant complained of censorship to the head of the colony who initiated an inquiry.
(a) Explanations by Z., Kh. and V.
23. On 27 June 2005 officer Z. submitted to the head of the colony an explanation which, in its relevant parts, read as follows:
"I hereby notify you that on 25 May 2005 a letter (incoming No. 1324) in a foreign language for convict Tarasov [the applicant] was received. I examined [the letter]. The documents in the envelope were inspected and put back into the envelope; they were not withheld. Other persons did not have access to the above letter and on the same day it was handed over against receipt to Kh., head of the brigade..."
24. The explanation compiled on 1 July 2005 by Kh., head of the applicant's brigade, went on as follows:
"On 25 May 2005 at around 3 p.m. officer Z. handed over to me a big envelope addressed to [the applicant]. The envelope was opened, I examined [рассмотрел] the documents contained therein and put them back. There were no documents in Russian there. I gave the envelope to V., the inmate on duty, for him to pass it to [the applicant]. I did not remove any documents from the envelope and did not give them to persons other than V."
25. On 29 June 2005 inmate V. submitted to the head of the colony an explanation worded in t
> 1 2 3 4 ... 12 13 14