Vladimir Yevdokimov, formerly a senior official at the Russian space company, Roscosmos, died in a Russia prison cell after having his throat slashed. He had recently been moved out of protective custody and into a general prison cell with no security cameras. Yevdokimov had been detained corruption in a 2007 fraud case that amounted to approximately 3.5 million USD and had been head of quality control at the company.
The agency’s director general, Igor Komarov, said in a brief statement: “We will undoubtedly press for the clarification of all the circumstances of his death and an exhaustive investigation of his death,” reports The Guardian.
Vadim Gorshenin, the head of the Public Observation Commission of Moscow, which monitors conditions in the city’s jails, said “To be honest I don’t understand the motive of this transfer,” Gorshenin said, specifying that Yevdokimov was moved from a smaller cell for six to one with 11 young prisoners.
“There were no security cameras there,” Gorshenin said.
Conditions of the body showed that Yevdikomov tried to fight off his attackers. Cellmates said they heard or saw nothing.