13 September 2024, 17:38
Kuban Jehovah's Witness* complains about absence of medical care at SIZO
The advocate of Valery Bailo, a convicted Jehovah's Witness* from Kuban (Krasnodar Territory), has filed complaints to the prosecutor's office about the absence of medical care, but was still unable to get treatment for his client, who is suffering from the consequences of a knee injury and acute toothache. The SIZO's medical unit has stated that Bailo needs no emergency care.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 10, 2024, it became known that law enforcers searched the home of the 66-year-old Valery Bailo, after which he was sent to custody. The human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" recognized him as a political prisoner. The Abinsky Court found Bailo guilty of participating in the activities of an extremist organization and sentenced him to 2.5 years of freedom deprivation.
Valery Bailo was a witness in the criminal case against Alexander Ivshin, who in 2021 was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail. A representative of the European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses* reported earlier that the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Oblast have the highest number of criminal cases initiated against Jehovah's Witnesses* among the regions of Southern Russia.
At the SIZO, Bailo receives no medical care despite his deteriorating health condition. He needs a joint surgery; he has been complaining of severe toothache for six months and has stomach problems. But constant appeals to the SIZO administration remain unanswered, the human rights project "OVD-Info" has informed**.
The advocate believes that this puts the life and health of his client at risk.
*396 Russian organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses are recognized as extremist, and their activities in Russia are banned by court's decision.
**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 12, 2024 at 04:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
