Russia/Ukraine: Imprisoned Nurse’s Condition Deteriorates
Irina Danilovich (Iryna Danylovych) is a civic activist and a human rights defender who was exposing problems of the health care system in Crimea. She was very vocal and publicly condemned cases of politically motivated prosecution, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and other activists.
On 29 April 2022, Irina Danilovich was abducted in Koktebel, Crimea, by members of Russia’s security forces. Her fate and whereabouts were unknown to her family and lawyer until 11 May. According to Irina Danilovich, she was repeatedly threatened with secret execution, and spent most of this time locked up in a basement in inhumane conditions. She was subjected to other forms of torture and other ill-treatment by her captors to force her to “confess” to state treason. After failing to achieve this her captors tampered with her personal belongings where they planted explosives, that were then used as a reason to prosecute and imprison her.
Her trial commenced on 22 August 2022 at Feodosia City Court and was fraught with numerous fair trial violations. On 28 December 2022, she was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of 50,000 Roubles (US$ 720) under Article 222.1(1) of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal purchase, transfer, storage and transportation of explosive substances or explosive devices). The de facto Supreme Court of Crimea considered her appeal and in June 2023 reduced her sentence by one month but upheld her conviction.
In March 2023, she went on a hunger strike in protest against the denial of adequate healthcare. As a result, she was taken to hospital where initial examinations were conducted concluding that she required further medical checks and urgent treatment. Nonetheless, she was taken back to Simferopol’s detention centre SIZO-1 and remains there without the healthcare she requires.
People who have opposed the Russian occupation and illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the human rights violations committed there since 2014 have faced persecution, including harassment, intimidation, prosecution under trumped-up charges and enforced disappearances. International human rights monitors do not have access to Crimea and independent media are either banned or have been forced to shut down. Access to online platforms has also been blocked on the Crimean Peninsula and in Russia.