Twitter Spaces: how Russia tortures political prisoners by denying medical aid

On June 26, 13:30 CEST (14:30 EET), Twitter Spaces will take place to discuss the destinies of political prisoners from the temporarily occupied Crimea and the denial of medical assistance as a form of torture. It will be held by Euromaidan Press together with ZMINA, Human Rights House Crimea and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

There are over 180 political prisoners from the temporarily occupied Crimea. Illegally detained. Isolated. Intimidated. Tortured.

Russian occupiers not only conduct night searches in the homes of peaceful families in Crimea and unjustly detain ordinary journalists, human rights defenders, artists, and medical workers but also humiliate them in every way, torturing and imprisoning them in inhuman conditions.

Of course, after beating or keeping political prisoners in sub-zero temperatures, no medical assistance is provided. The staff of the occupation pre-trial detention centres and prisons only exclaim with a sneer: “When will you finally cut your veins?“

Inhuman conditions in detention, in particular the denial of medical care, amount to torture or other ill-treatment. It is strictly prohibited by international law. Does it mean something to the Russian occupiers? The direct answer is the tragic death of two political prisoners from Crimea – Kostiantyn Shyring and Dzhemil Hafarov – who were denied medical assistance; the lethal danger in which encounters Iryna Danylovych, Amet Suleymanov, Nariman Dzhelyal and dozens of other political prisoners.

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we will remind the stories of somebodies sisters, brothers, parents and kids who suffer from the non-provision of medical assistance in the void of prisons:

• Who are these 180 Crimean political prisoners and what are the real reasons for their detention?
• What tortures are applied to them and why non-provision of medical assistance amounts to ill-treatment?
• What international legal frameworks apply in this situation and what international mechanisms should be addressed?
• How can we help political prisoners survive?

Panellists:

• Tetiana Zhukova, Human Rights Centre ZMINA
• Maria Kurinna, Human Rights House Crimea
• Eugenia Andreyuk, World Organisation Against Torture

Moderator: Alya Shandra, Editor-in-chief, Euromaidan Press