Three Political Activists Incarcerated :: Charter'97 :: News

In general, at the moment four individuals, sentenced for their political activism, are serving their terms in jail. One of them – Timofei Dranchuk – has been hospitalized.

Leader of the Young Front Pavel Severinets and entrepreneur Leonid Malakhov are kept in the Okrestina confinement center (the former for staging Independent Day protest, while the latter – for protesting against installation of cash desks at marketplaces). Human rights advocate Valery Schukin is serving his 15-day term in the Berestie jail for defending the Autocephalous church from demolition.

Pavel Severinets and Leonid Malakhov chanced to get into jail after police operation “homeless”, when they brought in many homeless folks, who are supposed to be held together with those on administrative sentence under the concomitant law provision.

Now the stuffy cells are overcrowded. Timofei Dranchuk couldn’t make it for more than two out of the total ten days. They had to call for an ambulance, which carried him away to the hospital. At first, his bunk was guarded by armed plain-clothed agents. Now his health condition improved. Radio Ratsya quotes him as saying the following:

“Two days spent in Okrestina were enough for me to get to the hospital. In my cell they held 9 instead of 5 people. The detention conditions are inhumane there, we were suffocating and I was suffering from high-blood pressure. Now, in the hospital, I’m feeling fine. However, I had never been told whether my sentence is still pending or not. My lawyers filed complaint against the arbitrary police actions.”

Today the Young Front leader Pavel Severinets will be out of jail, while tomorrow the businessmen will greet entrepreneur Leonid Malakhov.