Doctor convicted in Sofia Kulivets' case commits suicide in Krasnodar SIZO

Today at night, at the investigatory detention facility (SIZO) of Krasnodar, doctor Vladimir Pelipenko, sentenced to eleven months of imprisonment in the case of newborn Sofia Kulivets, whose arm was amputated, has committed suicide.

The magistrate court found Pelipenko and nurse Elena Senicheva guilty of inflicting heavy harm to the health of Sofia Kulivets. However, the medics refused to plead guilty.

According to Vladimir Chernobay, Pelipenko's advocate, the doctor cut his veins. "I was told that he did it, but I have strong doubts," said the lawyer, who asserts that "the doctor was killed." Mr Chernobay has added that he did not see Pelipenko's body, as the RIA "Novosti" reports.

The advocate asserts that his client was placed into the SIZO, although the court had sentenced him to serve his term in a colony-settlement, not in the prison. "He was waiting for the summon prescribing to appear in the colony, but they came and took him to the SIZO. Allegedly because he evaded from serving his punishment, but he did not. He was just waiting for an official summon," Vladimir Chernobay said to the "Interfax".

Alexander Valiev, head of the Investigatory Division for Krasnodar of the Investigatory Department of the Investigatory Committee under the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation for the Krasnodar Territory, has stated, as quoted by the "Moskovskiy Komosomolets", that a check will be held on the fact of the convict's death. The ICPO spokesman has reported also that "the suicide didn't allow SIZO doctors to help him and died as a result."