In Russia, an imprisoned opponent has disappeared from his prison, and his supporters are worried
A former Moscow local deputy, Alexei Gorinov, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for denouncing the attack in Ukraine, has disappeared from prison, his supporters, concerned about the deterioration of his health, reported on Friday: “Alexei Gorinov Lawyers have been trying all week to obtain specific information about his health and whereabouts. We can say that Alexei is not in Penal Colony No. 2 in Pokrov,” they said.
“We assume and hope that Alexei Gorinov was transferred to the hospital because he urgently needs hospital care,” the group continued in a message on Telegram. Alexei Gorinov, 62, served his sentence in Pokrov in the Vladimir region, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow.
On December 8, one of his lawyers was able to visit him, according to his supporters, and found that he was in “very poor health.” He no longer even had the strength to “stand on a chair and talk.” His support group points out that he was suffering from bronchitis at the time, had “difficulty breathing” and was deprived of medication and care, while he has had chronic lung problems since part of his lung was removed during surgery in 2016.
In July 2022, Alexei Gorinov became the first opponent to be convicted of “spreading false information” about the Russian army. This was done on the basis of a new law passed a few weeks earlier that was intended to punish those who denounced the conflict. Since then, hundreds of other people, recognized or anonymous activists, have been detained for the same reason. The main figures of the Russian opposition are in prison or in exile abroad.