UN expert condemns detention of Russia human rights lawyer News
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UN expert condemns detention of Russia human rights lawyer

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia on Wednesday condemned the detention of a human rights lawyer from Kaliningrad, saying her arrest appeared to be retaliation for defending political prisoners.

The case centers on Maria Bontsler, a 64-year-old human rights lawyer with a chronic medical condition.

Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova said in a statement released by the UN:

This is a deeply troubling case of judicial harassment and criminalisation of a lawyer for simply doing her job… Bontsler’s arrest and prosecution are politically motivated and represent yet another example of the continuing attack on the independence of the legal profession in Russia.

For decades, Bontsler has defended conscripts and political prisoners, including the high-profile activist Igor Baryshnikov who received a seven and a half year prison sentence for social media posts about Russia’s war with Ukraine.

This is the latest in an ongoing crackdown on dissent in Russia that has gained strength in the years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To this end, Katzarova brought attention to the timing of Bontsler’s arrest: a week earlier, “the European Union sanctioned 28 Russian officials, including the judge in Baryshnikov’s case.”

Katzarova also expressed concerns about Bontsler’s health, stating the lawyer has been denied essential medical care for severe hypertension. She also criticized Bontsler’s treatment in her detention facility, claiming she has been denied sufficient food and water.

Katzarova previously spoke out against the sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, a prominent electoral transparency advocate in Russia, and shared of the dangers political prisoners face in Russian prisons. 

Bontsler’s arrest was also condemned by the International Commission of Jurists.

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