A court in Russia on August 28 extended the pretrial detention of saxophonist Andrei Shabanov, who has a very serious medical condition, for another six months over his anti-war stance. Shabanov, who has several autoimmune diseases, as well as a serious spinal condition, accused the judge of ignoring his state of health and removed his shirt, revealing severe lesions all over his body. Shabanov was arrested in April and charged with making online calls for terrorism, which he and his supporters reject. The charge stems from Shabanov's online posts condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Russian Court Extends Detention of Ailing Saxophonist Over Anti-War Posts
Russian saxophonist Andrei Shabanov (file photo)