Moscow to host picket in defence of Chechen resident Zubair Zubairaev

Today, the picketers, who plan their action in Moscow in front of the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN), will stand for the rights of Zubair Zubairaev, a Chechen resident, who is now in a colony in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Zubair Zubairaev was convicted by the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic on August 13, 2007, under Article 317 of the Russian Criminal Code (attempt on life of a law enforcer), and sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment. He was transferred to the Krasnoyarsk colony from the medical prison No. 15 in Volgograd.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in July human rights activists, lawyers and relatives of Zubair Zubairaev filed an application to Alexander Reimer, Director of the FSIN, asking to release him on medical grounds. According to their version, Zubairaev's life is in danger because of actions of the colony employees.

Support Group: Zubairaev is still tortured

Civil society activists intend to appeal to the FSIN, demanding immediate release of Zubair Zubairaev on medical grounds.

"In Volgograd prison hospital No. 15, employees nailed his soles to the floor and beat him, in fact turning a young and strong man into an invalid. After his transfer from Volgograd to the prison in Minusinsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), beatings did not stop," says the report of the initiative group of citizens, who are defending Zubair Zubairaev's rights.

According to the initiative group, Zubairaev has broken spine, an arm and leg are paralyzed; however, he is still tortured. About a year is left of his prison term.

"Every time after he is visited by human rights defenders and lawyers, who fixing his condition and complaints, prison staff subjects Zubairaev to new beatings," the members of the initiative group write in the blog of the Movement "Solidarity" in the Livejournal.

Signatures are collected in defence of Zubairaev

Human rights activists started collecting signatures on a petition in defence of Zubair Zubairaev's rights on the website of the Russian Public Movement "For Human Rights".

"Because of the immediate threat to his life and impossibility of further serving his term, we insist on Zubairaev's early release on health grounds. His release is important for changing the legal and moral climate in the country, where prison employees, being convinced of their impunity and permissiveness, allow themselves to act as executioners," say the authors of the appeal.

As of today, the appeal has been signed by 67 persons, including the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseeva, the executive director of the Movement "For Human Rights" Lev Ponomaryov, the chair of the "Civil Assistance" Committee Svetlana Gannushkina, and other prominent human rights defenders and activists of social movements.

According to their version, "the Russian society should not admit other victims of the system that killed Magnitsky (a lawyer of the Fund "Hermitage Capital", who died in custody on November 16, 2009, - note of the "Caucasian Knot") and Vasily Alexanyan (former vice-president of the "Yukos", died on October 3, 2011, at home, after three years in jail, - note of the "Caucasian Knot")."

The FSIN bosses gave no comment on the statement of the citizens' initiative group in support of Zubairaev and the appeal of human rights defenders.

Prior to Zubairaev's transfer to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the bosses of the FSIN Department in Volgograd responded to appeals of human rights defenders and journalists that Zubairaev "was inclined to auto-aggression; he imitates seizures and self-inflicts bodily injuries."