No right to health: problems with the provision of medical care to Crimean political prisoners by the Russian Federation

The research contains an analysis of the situation regarding violations of the right to health care of Crimean political prisoners, including Crimean Tatars, who are being held in places of detention in Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The report outlines the background and problem of politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens by Russia, provides international standards for the provision of medical care and adequate conditions for the detention of persons in places of deprivation of liberty, describes the conditions of detention in the penitentiary system of Crimea and Russia, the most common health problems among political prisoners, and the reaction in Ukraine and around the world to the denial of medical care to Crimean political prisoners.

The publication contains descriptions of specific cases of denial of medical care to political prisoners and the officials of the Russian Federation and the occupying authorities in Crimea who are involved in this. This material is intended for a wide range of readers who are interested in the issue of human rights in the territories occupied by Russia.

Based on monitoring information about violations of political prisoners’ rights to adequate medical care from open sources, as well as testimony from relatives and lawyers of political prisoners, as of August 2025, the Human Rights Centre ZMINA is aware of roughly 100 cases where the failure to provide medical care, inappropriate conditions of detention and the use of violence in places of detention have a significant impact on condition of detainees. In 46 cases, the failure to provide medical care for potentially life-threatening injuries and illnesses for political prisoners in penitentiary institutions, both in the TOT and in the territory of the RF, was recorded and confirmed.

The research was prepared by The Human Rights Centre ZMINA in partnership with the NGO Crimean Process is available in English.

The analytical report is available in English.