НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН, РАСПРОСТРАНЕН И (ИЛИ) НАПРАВЛЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ «КОМАНДА ПРОТИВ ПЫТОК» ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА «КОМАНДА ПРОТИВ ПЫТОК» | 18+
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, received a petition signed by human rights defenders asking her to send questions to the Russian Government about the health and the new criminal case against Zarema Musayeva. The woman is currently serving a sentence in the Chechen Republic, human rights organizations have recognized her as a political prisoner and believe that she is, in fact, being held hostage due to the opposition activities of her sons, who have not lived in Russia for many years.
In the petition, the lawyers of the Crew Against Torture describe how Zarema’s health has worsened during the whole year: the woman has insulin-dependent diabetes type 2. She constantly needs medical supervision, examinations and planned hospitalizations.
The letter also indicates that two days after her son’s harsh statement about Ramzan Kadyrov, a new criminal case was opened against the woman. She allegedly attacked a warden, tore off his shoulder strap and hit him with her hand. Zarema denies all the accusations against her.
The CAT asked the Special Rapporteur to consider the petition urgently, since the human rights defenders fear that Ms. Musayeva may simply not survive a new prison sentence. She will most likely serve her new term in a correctional colony, where it is more difficult to provide medical care.
«We expect a prompt response at the UN level, since public coverage of the situation is one of the few ways to ensure the rights and safety of Zarema Musayeva. However, we know that the Russian authorities refuse to respond to information from the Special Rapporteur. In this situation, we very much count on coverage of the case in the media and on the fact that informal negotiations between delegations can be held within the UN,» underlines Olga Sadovskaya, the CAT’s lawyer.
In particular, we ask that Russia provide the UN, of which it is still a member, with detailed information about Musayeva’s health condition and the measures taken to ensure her regular access to specialized medical care. The Crew Against Torture also demands to officially and publicly disclose the factual and legal grounds for the new charges against Zarema Musayeva.
«Zarema is a hostage of Ramzan Kadyrov’s fight against his critics and an unplanned but very convenient victim. Perhaps many have already forgotten, but initially police came for her husband, but his judicial immunity did not allow them to bring the matter to an end. Therefore, it was Zarema who was forcibly taken to Chechnya; a criminal case was invented, and then another one – as revenge for the public statements of her relatives. Zarema is an exceptional political prisoner who has not said a word publicly. However, we see that after each public statement by her family against the Chechen authorities, the situation is rapidly deteriorating. We cannot call for silence to save her life, since freedom of speech is important, but we can predict the consequences of publicity. Unfortunately, these consequences are terrible,» – indicates Ms. Sadovskaya.