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Inside Penal Colonies and Detention Centers

Prisoner for Faith Is Forbidden to Take Necessary Medicine in the Kursk Pre-Trial Detention Center. His Condition Is Critical

Kursk Region

Обновление. 27 января 2020 года Артём Багратян переведен из курского СИЗО в больницу, где должно пройти обследование. В начале января руководство колонии позволило родственникам передать Артёму необходимые препараты, которые он начал принимать под наблюдением медработников изолятора. Родные верующего по-прежнему сильно обеспокоены положением дела у Артёма.

The management and doctors of the Kursk pre-trial detention center refuse proper treatment for Artyom Bagratyan, who was arrested for reading the Bible, meeting with fellow believers and talking with others about the Bible. Artem, 47, has diabetes and hypertension, and his condition is deteriorating sharply.

Artyom, along with his wife Alevtina and other believers, were detained in Kursk on October 16, 2019 on charges of extremism. Since then, both spouses and their acquaintance Andrey Andreev have been under arrest in pre-trial detention center No. 1 in the Kursk region.

"In the pre-trial detention center, Artem is not allowed to take the medicines he was taking before his arrest. In the isolation ward, he is given analogues that are ineffective. They also do not provide a special diet," Bagratyan's lawyer said, adding that there is a real threat to the life of the client.

The lawyer visited Bagratyan on December 26, 2019. The next day, December 27, the Leninsky District Court held hearings to extend the measure of restraint. During the meeting, Artem became ill, he had to call an ambulance, because the sugar level and blood pressure increased greatly.

"The doctor did not have a medicine for blood pressure, so we ran to the pharmacy. After that, Artem felt a little better, and the trial continued, "says the lawyer.

Despite Bagratyan's critical health, Judge Tatyana Pozdnyakova extended his arrest until March 11, 2020.

The case of the Bagratyan family is being conducted by the investigator of the FSB of Russia for the Kursk region M.N. Zaitsev.

After Bagratyan's detention in October 2019, a series of raids took place in Kursk. On October 24 and 31, 2019, security forces searched a total of seven houses of believers. On November 6 and 11, three more searches took place.

Case of Andreyev and Others in Kursk

Case History
In October 2019, the FSB initiated a criminal case against Andrey Andreyev, Artem Bagratyan and his wife Alevtina. Andreyev was accused of organizing the activity of an extremist organization, while the others were accused of participating in it. They were placed in a detention center. Later, another believer, Andrey Ryshkov, was arrested. At the end of 2020, Alevtina Bagratyan was transferred to house arrest. Artem Bagratyan suffers from diabetes and other chronic diseases; his condition required inpatient treatment, which he was denied by the management of the detention center. In June 2021, the court sentenced: Andrey Andreyev to 4.5 years in a penal colony, Andrey Ryshkov - 3 years in a penal colony, Artem Bagratyan - 2.5 years in a penal colony and his wife, Alevtina - 2 years in a penal colony. Aleksandr Vospitanyuk was given a 2-year suspended sentence. In January 2022, the court of appeal, and a year later, the court of cassation, upheld this decision. All of the believers have already served their terms.
Timeline

Persons in case

Criminal case

Region:
Kursk Region
Locality:
Kursk
Court case number:
11907380001000031
Initiated:
September 12, 2019
Current case stage:
The verdict entered into force
Investigating:
УФСБ России по Курской области
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation:
282.2 (2), 282.2 (1)
Court case number:
1-12/2021 (1-410/2020)
Court:
Промышленный районный суд г. Курска
Judge:
Оксана Иванова
Case History