Human rights defender Igor Nagavkin goes on hunger strike at penal colony

Human rights defender Igor Nagavkin declared a hunger strike after being placed to a punishment cell in a penal colony in Uryupinsk. Human rights defenders sent a request concerning the legality of the actions of the penal colony administration in relation to Igor Nagavkin.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on June 26, Igor Nagavkin was found guilty of disrupting the operation of a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Leninsk. Following a complaint filed by the prosecutor’s office, the Volgograd Regional Court replaced the Igor Nagavkin’s suspended two-year sentence with a real imprisonment in a penal colony. Igor Nagavkin complained about the conditions of detention at the penal colony in the Volgograd Region, where he is serving his sentence, and requested an investigation. On November 19, it became known that Igor Nagavkin was placed to a punishment cell.

Human rights defender Igor Nagavkin, who is serving his sentence at the penal colony in Uryupinsk, went on a hunger strike after being placed to the punishment cell, a friend of Igor Nagavkin reported.

According to the friend’s version, the first two warnings, which became the reason for placing Igor Nagavkin to the punishment cell, were made by a “censor,” as during talks with his relatives and friends, Igor Nagavkin allegedly used obscene language. “Although in a conversation with him on a phone, it was not he, but I who used obscene words,” explained the Igor Nagavkin’s friend.

The reason for the third warning was a book left by Igor Nagavkin on a nightstand by his bed. After that, he was recognized as a “malicious violator” and placed to the punishment cell. “The penal colony administration uses such a method to exert a repressive influence on Igor,” noted the human rights defender’s friend.

The man noted that Igor is sick and has been assigned bed rest, so he does not work at the penal colony.

Valentin Bogdan, the acting chair of the “For the Protection of Prisoners’ Rights” Foundation*, has reported that he is preparing an appeal from his foundation to the administration of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Department for the Volgograd Region regarding the “disputable reason” for placing Igor Nagavkin to the punishment cell.

“The most effective method of protest is a dry hunger strike. In such a case, a prosecutor must visit a protester within 24 hours. However, I would not advise using such a radical method, as it can seriously harm health,” Valentin Bogdan emphasized.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.