Prison transfer: a relative has been moved and gone silent

• A transfer lasts from a few days to several months; people are usually held up to 20 days at each transit point. There is almost no contact during this time.
• Before the transfer: send food, water, warm clothes, stamped envelopes, reply forms and a sturdy bag.
• Within 10 days of arrival the colony must notify one relative chosen by the prisoner (Penal Enforcement Code, art. 17). If another relative got the notice, ask them; if nobody has heard anything, write to the SIZO they left from and to the prison service.
• If the person has 'disappeared', complain to the prosecutor, the regional prison directorate, the monitoring commission and the ombudsman. A lawyer can file inquiries. Publicity sometimes helps, and sometimes the prisoner is punished for it. Decide together with the lawyer and, if possible, with the person themselves.
• Where to turn: Prison Lawyer, Solidarity Zone, First Department.
• By law, the SIZO must tell one relative chosen by the prisoner where they are being sent to serve the sentence (Penal Enforcement Code, art. 75(2)). The route itself is not disclosed, and the transfer starts no later than 10 days after the SIZO is notified that the verdict has taken effect; in those days the prisoner is entitled to one short visit (art. 75(1)).

current as of 7 October 2026. More: First Department: key facts on prison transfers (foreign agent); First Department: political prisoners 'disappearing' in custody (foreign agent); ConsultantPlus: Penal Enforcement Code, art. 17 (notice of place of imprisonment); ConsultantPlus: Penal Enforcement Code, art. 75 (sending prisoners to serve sentences)