A former local Moscow politician, sentenced to seven years in prison last year for criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine, has been missing from his supporters for days. Alexei Gorinov is no longer in the Pokrov penal colony, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow, where he was previously imprisoned, his support group announced via Telegram yesterday.
AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Gorinov's lawyers tried in vain all week to obtain information about his whereabouts and health, the group said. She was worried about the 62-year-old man's health. “We assume and hope that Alexei Gorinov has been transferred to a hospital,” the statement said.
In “very poor health”
According to supporters, one of the lawyers visited Gorinov on December 8 and discovered that he was in “very poor health” and did not have the strength to sit on a chair and speak. Gorinow suffered from bronchitis and respiratory problems. He was denied the necessary medication. The former local politician has suffered from chronic lung problems since having one of his lungs removed in 2016.
Gorinov was sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2022 after publicly criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine. A court in Moscow found him guilty of “knowingly disseminating false information” about the Russian army.