Released heavily sick Dagestani native tells about life in colony

Magomedsaid Gazaliev, who was released from imprisonment because of his grave disease, flew with his female relative to Makhachkala. In the colony, he had to seek transfer to prison hospital when his condition worsened, said a former prisoner.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 22, 2019, the Syktyvkar City Court ruled to free the Dagestani Magomedsaid Gazaliev from serving the rest of his prison term in connection with the his phase four oncology disease.

Early on the morning on August 3, Gazaliev flew with his elder sister to the capital of Dagestan with a change in Moscow. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent met them at "Vnukovo" Airport.

According to Gazaliev, it was most difficult for him to endure his stay in a cell-type room and in the dungeon (punishment cell) because of his headaches. He noted that these cells are extremely small, lit by dim bulbs, water in the tap is cold, plank beds are tilted, they are lowered only at night, there are no tables or chairs; these cells are not ventilated; in winter the temperature does not rise above 10-12 degrees. "And I had moments, when the pain was so strong that there was dark in my eyes, and I needed to lie down with my hands over my head – it seemed a bit easier then. And I lay on the floor. It's good that the floors are wooden, as earlier they were concrete, they say. If the superintendent saw that I was lying on the floor in the daytime, they extended my stay in the cell or dungeon," said Gazaliev.

According to his story, the stay in a cell with strict custody conditions was better, although there were up to 30 inmates in a cell. "In a cell-chamber or dungeon, I was often alone, with nobody to support me. It was once that my pain attacks became more frequent; I began to lose consciousness oftener, but they wouldn't place me in the prison hospital ... And then all my cellmates went on a hunger strike, demanding my transfer to the hospital," he said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 5, 2019 at 07:57 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.