Crimean political prisoner has been waiting for help for 7 years

Political prisoner from Crimea Ivan Yatskin is experiencing health problems and restrictions on medical care in the colony.

This was reported by Krym.Realii.

Ivan was detained in 2019 and convicted by a Russian court in a case that human rights activists consider politically motivated. According to him, Yatskin was reluctant to talk about his experience, but mentioned that during his imprisonment he developed trophic ulcers on his legs due to the lack of proper medical care. He also complained of constant psychological pressure, headaches, pain in the thoracic spine and almost complete loss of teeth.

The political prisoner said that psychotropic drugs could have been administered to him in the detention center, which caused him to experience memory lapses. He remembers the first six months in detention in fragments. During interrogations, he was told that he might not live to see the trial, and that his family's safety was at risk. Relatives say that in colony #44 in Belovo, Yatskin receives outpatient medical care 'selectively'. Sometimes treatment is prescribed, but he is not actually allowed to go to the medical unit, citing a lack of staff. One of the reasons for refusal is the need for constant escort, as he is marked as an 'escape-prone'. Ivan's family received annual assistance from Ukraine to support political prisoners, and in 2020-2022, human rights organizations also helped.

In Bakhchisarai, the occupation court extended the arrest of the defendants in the Crimean Muslim case. Abdulmezhit Seytumerov, Ametkhan Umerov, Eldar Yakubov, Seydamet Mustafayev, Remzi Nimetullayev and Ruslan Asanov will remain in pre-trial detention until November 23, 2025. The defense, referring to the lawyer Emil Kurbedinov, argues that the prosecutor's request for the extension of the arrest did not contain sufficient justification. According to the lawyer, the prosecution did not provide evidence that would justify the extension of detention, and did not explain why softer preventive measures, such as house arrest, could not be applied. The lawyers intend to appeal the court's decision. The next hearing is scheduled for August 18, during which the defense will begin presenting its evidence and questioning witnesses.

Катерина Глушко