War opponents sick in the camp
Dozens of Russian doctors write an open letter to Putin
December 10, 2023, 12:30 p.m
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In Putin’s Russia this is a serious offense: the politician Gorinov called for a minute’s silence for the war victims. A little later he ends up in a penal colony, where he falls seriously ill. Now many Russian doctors are turning to their president.
Russian doctors have one open letter to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin with a demand for medical treatment for war opponent Alexei Gorinov, who is ill in prison. Refusal of medical attention violates the Russian constitution, says the letter, which 134 doctors had signed by midday.
Gorinov, a Moscow local politician, is the first war opponent to be convicted in Russia for discrediting the Russian army. Gorinov’s lawyers recently reported a drastic deterioration in his health. Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2022 after he called for a minute’s silence for the “victims of military aggression in Ukraine” at a Moscow district parliament meeting. The 62-year-old is now facing another trial for “justifying terrorism” because he spoke to fellow prisoners about the war.
According to his lawyers, the chronic lung sufferer is suffering from acute bronchitis and they now describe his skin color as blue. “Alexei doesn’t even have the strength to sit on the chair or talk. He practically fell several times.” The prison authorities refused a request for medical treatment, the lawyers said.
Addressing Putin, the doctors’ letter said: “We call on you, as guarantors of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to ensure the coordinated functioning and cooperation of state authorities and to take the necessary measures to remedy the persistent violation in the case of AA Gorinov seize.” Gorinov must be examined in a specialized facility. His condition is life-threatening and could deteriorate quickly.
Gorinov is not the only political prisoner who appears to be denied medical attention. According to his colleagues, the imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is said to be in serious health problems. For days there has been no sign of life from the Kremlin critic, who was sentenced to 19 years in a prison camp in an internationally criticized trial.