The former editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov has called on the Red Cross to intervene to alleviate the situation of Aleksei Gorinov, who is serving a 7-year sentence that rights groups and his supporters say is politically motivated.
Gorinov, 63, a former Moscow municipal lawmaker, was sentenced in July 2022 for spreading "fake news" about the Russian military because of his stance in opposition to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
In November 2023, a new criminal case was opened against him for "justifying terrorism."
Muratov sent the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric-Egger, a request to assist in providing medical assistance to Gorinov.
"The consequences of inaction are obvious. I ask you, Ms. Spoljaric, to facilitate the provision of medical assistance and to intervene to stop the torture of Aleksei Gorinov by authorities. I again ask you for an urgent inspection by the Red Cross into places where internationally recognized political prisoners are held in Russia and Belarus," Novaya Gazeta quotes Muratov's letter as saying.
Novaya Gazeta writes that Gorinov was not issued a mattress or blanket, does not have hot water or a working toilet, and is deprived of books, letters, and phone calls. The publication says that due to his complete isolation, Gorinov has begun to forget words.
"He is facing a second sentence -- in a case regarding conversations he had with cellmates in which he allegedly justified terrorism," Novaya Gazeta writes, adding that the accusation is based on false testimonies by other prisoners.
"The word of a criminal against the word of a political prisoner is, of course, more significant; Gorinov will be given an extra sentence. He will certainly not live to see the end of it," Novaya Gazeta writes.
Gorinov was the first individual to receive a prison term under the article on the dissemination of "fake" information about the Russian military, which was added to the Russian Criminal Code after the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Gorinov underwent surgery to remove part of one lung in 2016. His support group has repeatedly reported on his health problems in prison.