There is no separate article on torture in the Russian Criminal Code, there is only an article on abuse of power - Article 286. It has a paragraph on torture, the punishment is up to 15 years of imprisonment. However, according to the data of the human rights organisation "Crew Against Torture" for 2019, the average term of imprisonment under this article is 3.5 years, 43% of those convicted receive only suspended sentences. The system protects its individual representatives. And people who have been in the role of suspects or accused continue to tell stories about how they were persuaded to give the "right" testimony. My photographs are staged shots of ordinary objects placed in everyday conditions. According to the stories of victims of police brutality and materials of criminal cases, similar objects to those depicted were used for torture.

First Place

Abuse of Power

Igor Skabelin
Independent
Russia

Igor Skabelin is a documentary photographer from Russia, based in Moscow. In his personal projects he explores themes of social inequality, human rights, political and civic activism. In 2021-2023 he studied at the Docdocdoc school. His work has been published in MBK Media, Project media, Greenpeace, the Telegram channel Avtozak LIVE, and TASS. He is a finalist in the Mediaburger-2021 contest for young journalists of the 7×7 Horizontal Russia online magazine in the Photo Reportage category.

[ ISSUE REPORTING PICTURE STORY ] A long-term project on a single topic. It could focus on science, news, politics or any number of topics, ranging from coverage of a single person to an entire community. The project must convey a deep understanding of the subject. Each submission consists of 10 to 40 images. Each participant is allowed to enter up to 2 submissions. All images must be taken in 2023.

Judges for Issue Reporting Picture Story
Forough Alaei
Forough Alaei
Yuki Tanaka
Yuki Tanaka
Steven Lee
Steven Lee
Shuchi Kapoor
Shuchi Kapoor
Wan Chantavilasvong
Wan Chantavilasvong
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