We, deputies elected by the Russian people, appeal to those endowed with high governmental powers all over the world to pay special attention to the situation of our colleague, Moscow deputy Alexei Gorinov, who is currently in a Russian prison.
He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in a penal colony for using the word “war” and calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities on the territory of sovereign Ukraine during his speech at a Deputies Council meeting in Moscow in 2022.
The condition of this 63-year-old man, who had previously lost part of his left lung due to tuberculosis and suffering from chronic bronchitis, is incompatible with imprisonment. Putin’s regime is killing Gorinov before our eyes. We fear for the politician’s life, just as we feared for the life of Alexei Navalny, who was killed in prison six months ago.
The conditions of his detention are torturous. Gorinov is periodically denied necessary personal items, books, phone calls, and communication with relatives. His cell is damp and cold. Public campaigns have temporarily succeeded in improving his conditions, but then everything repeats. Only the release of Alexei can save him.
We demand the immediate release of Alexei Gorinov. His life depends on it today.
Alexei Gorinov and many other Russians who are imprisoned under Article 207.3 (for allegedly spreading false information, according to the Russian state, about the actions of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine) must be immediately released. This demand is included in the conclusion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention No. 78/2022, which states that Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“fake news”) violates Articles 2, 3, 7, 9, 19, and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Articles 2(1), 9(3), 19, 25, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
We demand that the Russian Federation, as a member of the UN and a member of the UN Security Council, follow the UN’s recommendations, respect human rights, and immediately release all political prisoners, including those imprisoned under other repressive articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
We call on all people endowed with high authoritative powers and committed to democracy, humanism, and human rights to make every possible effort to save Alexei Gorinov!