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Footage and images of individuals suspected of involvement in a mass shooting depict them undergoing apparent mistreatment by Russian security forces, with no official condemnation.
A senior Kremlin official suggests dispatching assassination squads to target Ukrainian officials, while prominent lawmakers advocate for the reinstatement of capital punishment, which was abolished decades ago.
Following the deadly attack at a Moscow concert hall that claimed 145 lives, the deadliest assault in Russia in twenty years, the aftermath appears to be laying the groundwork for stricter governance under President Vladimir Putin, following his highly orchestrated electoral victory last month.
Putin has vowed to track down the orchestrators of the March 22 attack, which he has linked to Ukraine despite strong denials from Kyiv and a claim of responsibility from an offshoot of the Islamic State group.
He ominously warned that terrorism is a "double-edged weapon."
Putin's associate Dmitry Medvedev suggested that if Ukrainian involvement is proven, Moscow should retaliate by sending hit men to eliminate the country's leaders "in Kyiv or any other convenient place."
The attack dealt a severe blow to Putin less than a week after the vote that extended his presidency for another six years.
It represented a significant failure by his security agencies, which had been warned in advance by the U.S. about extremists planning an imminent attack.
The four suspects, all citizens of Tajikistan, were captured by security forces in a forest approximately 140 kilometers (86 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russian news outlets released video confessions of their involvement in the attack, but doubts have been raised about the credibility of these statements due to the severe beatings the men appeared to have endured, along with other signs of mistreatment when they appeared in court.
One suspect had a heavily bandaged ear, reportedly severed during interrogation, while another had pieces of a plastic bag around his neck, suggesting an attempt at suffocation.
A third was barely conscious in a wheelchair, accompanied by medical personnel.
While Russian police and security agencies have faced accusations of torture, previous incidents led to official condemnation, dismissals, and criminal prosecutions.
In this case, however, authorities have remained silent on the disturbing video and signs of maltreatment seen in court.
One video showed a man in military attire cutting off part of a suspect's ear and forcing it into his mouth, threatening to do the same to his genitals.
Another suspect was shown with his pants pulled down and wires attached to his genitals.
The authenticity of these images could not be independently verified, but Human Rights Watch confirmed that the men in the photos and videos were the same individuals appearing in court for their pretrial hearings.
"The swift and widespread dissemination of these videos appears to be a deliberate act by the Putin government to flaunt its brazen disregard for basic rights, fundamental humanity, and the rule of law," said Tanya Lokshina, HRW's associate director for Europe and Central Asia.
Kremlin propagandists portrayed this treatment as a justified response to the massacre. Margarita Simonyan, head of state-funded broadcaster RT, dismissed criticism and argued that the law enforcement personnel involved should not face punishment.
"Put yourself in the shoes of our guys who were pursuing those monsters who had just slaughtered many of our fellow citizens," Simonyan said.
"What were they supposed to do? Serve them warm porridge and yogurt?"
Many observers view the tacit approval of such brutality as a troubling indication of what is to come.
"All of this serves a dual purpose -– it is a display of terror as a tool of intimidation and a means to foment hatred," said political analyst Kirill Rogov. "It normalizes hatred as a response, even to those who raise questions and dissent."
Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, known for his more liberal stance during his presidency in 2008-12, has recently adopted a harsher tone.
He called for the extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian officials, citing Soviet practices of assassinations, such as those of Ukrainian nationalists Yevhen Konovalets and Stepan Bandera.
The concert hall attack has also prompted calls from hawks and some senior lawmakers to reintroduce the death penalty, which has been suspended since 1996 when Russia joined the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organization.
Calls for its reinstatement have surfaced regularly, especially after attacks attributed to insurgents from Chechnya and other militant extremists, and intensified after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine led to its departure from the Council of Europe.
Vladimir Vasilyev, head of the parliamentary faction of United Russia, the main Kremlin party, stated that the lower house would consider restoring the death penalty, taking into account "society’s mood and expectations.”
However, some Kremlin-linked lawmakers and others oppose this move, suggesting Putin's hesitance.
Andrei Klishas, the influential head of the constitutional affairs committee in the upper house of parliament, argued that restoring the death penalty is impossible unless Russia approves a new constitution.
Andrei Medvedev, deputy speaker of the Moscow City Council, stated that Russia should never reinstate capital punishment due to its troubled history during the Soviet era.
“Unfortunately, our judicial system is not perfect and is not immune from mistakes," Medvedev wrote. “The country that experienced repressions, Red Terror... and the execution of those who believed in God must abandon the death penalty once and for all.”
Lidiya Mikheyeva, secretary of the Public Chamber, a Kremlin-controlled advisory board, also opposed reinstating the death penalty, warning against reverting "to the times of savagery and barbarity.”
“The abolition of the death penalty is one of our country’s major historic achievements,” she added.
Dmitry Kiselyov, a Russian state TV commentator, hinted that Putin does not support reinstating the death penalty.
“It’s good that Russia is led by Putin, for whom the life of each of our citizens is priceless,” he said.
Despite these doubts, many observers believe the official tolerance of the suspects' mistreatment and the calls for killing Russia's enemies indicate a more ruthless era ahead.
Net Freedoms, a Russian group focusing on freedom of speech, noted that Putin and Medvedev's harsh statements, combined with the demonstrative torture, effectively endorse extrajudicial executions and instruct law enforcement agencies on how to treat enemies.
“We are witnessing the possible beginning of a new Great Terror,” the group said, referring to Stalin's purges in the 1930s.
“There should be no illusions — the developments are following a very negative scenario, and the slide is rapidly accelerating.”