2023-11-18 21:19:59
More than a hundred doctors in Russia have published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin calling for the release of imprisoned artist Alexandra “Sascha” Skotschilenko. “As a medical community, we are very concerned about Sascha’s health,” said the letter, which was published on online networks and by independent Russian news portals on Saturday.
The 33-year-old artist was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday for her criticism of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. She was found guilty of “spreading false information about the army,” the verdict said.
In their open letter, the doctors referred to the artist’s numerous health problems, including a congenital heart defect and celiac disease, a disease caused by gluten intolerance.
The initiator also wrote a letter for Navalnyj’s care
Skotschilenko was diagnosed with a number of “serious chronic illnesses” that required appropriate medical treatment and a special diet, the doctors wrote. If she remained in prison, this could lead to a significant deterioration in her health.
The letter was initiated by the surgeon Alexander Vanyukov, who had already organized a similar appeal this year asking for appropriate medical care for the imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Kerstin Holm Published/Updated: Recommendations: 6 Laura Gabler Published/Updated: Recommendations: 9 Markus Wehner, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 152
Last March, Skotschilenko swapped supermarket price tags for slogans criticizing Russia’s Ukraine offensive. The signs read phrases like “The price of this war is the lives of our children.” The openly gay artist was then arrested in April.
Since the offensive in Ukraine began in February 2022, the Russian authorities have significantly intensified their crackdown on the opposition. Criticism of the offensive was prohibited by law. Thousands of people were imprisoned because of their critical comments.
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