"Memorial" lists 45 new political prisoners within six months

Within the past six months, the list run by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" of the persons deprived of freedom for political reasons, has went up to 87 persons. Out of 45 new political prisoners, five are natives of Northern Caucasus and Southern Federal District (SFD), or those, convicted in these regions.

For the period from October 30, 2015, when the previous list was published, only eight political prisoners have been released.

Those who are back at large include Evgeny Vitishko, an ecologist from the Krasnodar Territory, sentenced to three years in colony for the so-called "case of damaging the fence" around the summer cottage of Alexander Tkachov, the ex-governor of the Krasnodar Territory. His deprivation of freedom was replaced by restriction thereof.

Meanwhile, instead of three released figurants of the "Bolotnaya case", two new ones were placed behind bars, including Maxim Panfilov from Astrakhan. He is in custody since April 7, 2016. According to rights defenders, his persecution was carried out on a charge of an offense, which had never been committed, and in violation of the right to a fair trial.

The list of the HRC "Memorial" also included the citizens of Ukraine Stanislav Klykh and Nikolai Karpyuk. The court in Grozny is completing the consideration of the case about their alleged killing of the Russian servicemen in the course of the warfare in Chechnya in 1993-94. Rights defenders believe that the right to a fair trial was violated in relation to both of them.

According to the HRC "Memorial", the "Ukrainian trace" is clearly visible in the case of the Krasnodar activist Darya Polyudova. She has been convicted under the "extremist articles" of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in connection with her participation in the preparation of the never held "March for federalization of the Krasnodar Territory".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.