Human rights activists offered to exchange Aleksey Gorinov, convicted for fakes about the army, for accomplices of the Putin regime detained in the EU

Initiative group of the Sakharov movement “Peace Progress.

Human Rights” invited MEPs to organize an exchange of municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov, who is serving a seven-year sentence in the case of “fakes” about the Russian army, for “one or more of the accomplices of the Putin regime detained in the West ” The appeal of human rights activists to novaya gazeta europe was handed over by Elena Kotenochkina, a Moscow municipal deputy who is involved with Gorinov in the same criminal case.

The appeal says that 529 people are now imprisoned in Russia, whom the Memorial society recognized as political prisoners The selection of people for exchange is “obviously unfair,” the authors of the appeal say.

However, they urge to pay attention to Gorinov first of all because of his state of health “He has worsened chronic bronchitis.

In 2016, he underwent surgery and lost one lung Now we are afraid that he will not get out of prison alive,” the letter says.

The authors propose to exchange Gorinov, for example, for Marat Kasem, editor-in-chief of Sputnik Lithuania, who was arrested by the Latvian authorities on suspicion of espionage and violation of EU sanctions Head of the initiative group “Mir.

Progress Human Rights,” Lev Ponomarev told novaya gazeta europe that the Russian side could demand dozens of people in exchange for Gorinov.

“We have no doubts that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of those detained for espionage There is definitely a potential for exchange.

There are precedents - recently they changed Greiner to Bout, ”said Ponomarev According to him, "if the first exchange takes place, then it will be possible to think about the second and the third.

" In addition to Gorinov, in their letter, human rights activists also single out Russian opposition politicians in prisons - Ilya Yashin and Alexei Navalny, whom the authors of the appeal call "political prisoner No 1.

" Meduza in Russia is now not only a “foreign agent”, but also an “undesirable” organization This status is much worse than before.

Nevertheless, we continue to work We can still be read.

It is safe Here are all the answers to the disturbing questions.

In July 2022, a court in Moscow sentenced municipal deputy Aleksey Gorinov to seven years in prison in the case of spreading fake news about the Russian army The reason was that at one of the meetings of the council of deputies Gorinov called the war a war.

This sentence under the article on "fakes" was the first in Russia, according to which the accused received a real term The case was also dealt with by municipal deputy Elena Kotenochkina, who agreed with Gorinov at a meeting of the council of deputies.

She is currently abroad She was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list.

Gorinov complained that he was not provided with medical assistance in the pre-trial detention center and colony In early January 2023, MEPs sent a letter of support to Gorinov.

It was signed by 34 people .