Lawyers are very worried
War critic Gorinov disappears from penal colony
December 16, 2023, 6:04 a.m
Where is Alexei Gorinov? This is the question that concerns the lawyers and a support group of the former local politician from Moscow. The 62-year-old is apparently no longer in the penal colony to which he was sent for spreading “false information.”
A former Moscow local politician who was sentenced to seven years in prison last year for criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine has been missing from his supporters for days. Alexei Gorinov is no longer in the penal colony in Pokrov, around 200 kilometers east of Moscow, where he was previously imprisoned, his support group announced on Friday on the Telegram online service.
Gorinov’s lawyers had been trying in vain all week to obtain information about his whereabouts and health, the group said. They were concerned about the 62-year-old’s health. “We assume and hope that Alexei Gorinov has been transferred to a hospital,” the statement said.
In “very poor health”
According to the supporters, one of the lawyers visited Gorinov on December 8 and discovered that he was in “very poor health” and did not have the strength to sit in a chair and speak. Gorinow suffered from bronchitis and had breathing problems. He was denied necessary medication. The ex-local politician has suffered from chronic lung problems since having one of his lungs removed in 2016.
Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2022 after publicly criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine. A court in Moscow found him guilty of “knowingly spreading false information” about the Russian army. The current uncertainty over Gorinov’s whereabouts is similar to the case of prominent opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny’s lawyers and supporters have also had no contact with him for days. Navalny’s exiled spokeswoman Kira Jarmisch announced on Friday on the online service X (formerly Twitter) that a court had informed Navalny’s lawyer that he had left his penal colony east of Moscow. “It is not clear where exactly,” explained Jarmisch.
The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that, according to a court announcement, Navalny had left his penal colony in accordance with a ruling that came into force in the summer. Navalny’s arrival in his new penal colony will be communicated within the framework of the applicable laws. The Kremlin critic was convicted of “extremism” in the summer and his prison sentence was increased to 19 years. He was also ordered to be transferred to a prison with stricter conditions. Transfers from one prison to another in Russia often take several weeks.