Sentences issued in Yekaterinburg special school abuse case
Sentences ranging from 7 to 9 years were given to boys aged 15 and 16. They were accused of sexual violence against children under the age of 14. According to Russian media, such punishments were imposed by older students for allegedly bad behaviour. Teachers at the special school in Yekaterinburg were reportedly aware of everything.
The District Court in Yekaterinburg issued sentences for three students of the closed special school no. 124. They were accused of sexual violence against two or more minors, including a child under the age of 14.
According to the "Meduza" portal, one teenager was sentenced to nine years in prison, the second to nine years and one month, and the third to seven years. They will serve their time in a reformatory colony. Additionally, the court ruled that the accused must compensate the victims for moral damages – about CAD 6,700 each. This money will be "collected" from the accounts of the convicted teenagers' parents.
The teenagers deny their guilt. "We are innocent, we have nothing to hide from God and people. We will definitely appeal," said one of the accused in court. The E1.RU channel on Telegram published photos of the three convicted teenagers. Although their faces were blurred, a clear smile could be seen on their faces.
The children claim that the sexual abuse was filmed, and the recordings reached the headmistress. She organized a meeting during which she scolded both the rapists (saying, among other things, "What are you doing here?") and the victim himself for allowing himself to be treated this way (saying, among other things, "Couldn't you fight back?")" - the "Meduza" portal quotes lawyer Georgy Krasnov.
"Peer trials" at school and punishments for bad behaviour
Russian media reported that information about violence at the special school came to light in April 2023. One of the students escaped and detailed what was happening behind the walls.
He said "peer trials" were conducted against school students, mainly for bad behaviour. During these trials, punishments were decided through voting. The worst punishment was physical and sexual violence. The boy claimed that the "peer trials" were initiated by one of the teachers, and the "punishments" were carried out by older youths.
The trial of the 15- and 16-year-olds has been ongoing since December 2023. According to investigators, episodes of sexual violence occurred when teachers were not around. Threats and beatings accompanied them. In total, the case includes 12 episodes of violence against two students of the special school.
In June, the court in Yekaterinburg sentenced former special school headmistress Natalia Poddubnaya for negligence. She received a sentence of 11 months of corrective labour and was deprived of the right to hold managerial positions in government agencies for 2 years. The headmistress did not plead guilty, and according to her, the boy fabricated the whole thing because he wanted to justify his bad behaviour.
