New prison conditions

Putin opponent now banned from bed in Siberia

Kara-Mursa is being harassed in a penal colony.(Bild: AFP/Alexander NEMENOV)

According to his lawyer of many years, the well-known Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Mursa has been transferred to a cell with more difficult prison conditions in a Siberian penal colony for six months. 

The formal reason for the punishment was that he had taken his hands off his back for a few seconds to put his cap in its prescribed place, Kara-Mursa's former lawyer Vadim Prokhorov wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

Prokhorov, who has since fled Russia, remains in contact with Kara-Mursa. A day earlier, Ilya Yashin, a close associate of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who died in custody, was given the same sentence.

There is a system to harassment
Transfer to such punishment cells is a frequently used form of harassment by the prison administration, especially for political prisoners. The conditions there are particularly harsh. The cell is very cramped, the use of the beds is forbidden after waking up, the daily walk in the yard is restricted. In addition, for example, only a brief meeting with relatives is allowed every six months - and even this only with the approval of the administration.

Kara-Mursa was sentenced to 25 years in prison in April 2023 on charges of high treason. He is internationally regarded as a political prisoner. For years, he has criticized the policies of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The 42-year-old's health is severely impaired following several poison attacks.