UN Expert Urges End to Detained Dissidents’ Disappearances in Russia
UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova, expressed serious concern over the enforced disappearances of arbitrarily detained dissidents in Russia. Her statement came after news emerged that the whereabouts and health condition of Alexey Gorinov have been unknown since December 8, 2023.
Katzarova drew a parallel between Gorinov and fellow opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Both individuals have experienced enforced disappearances, putting them at risk of further human rights violations, including loss of life. The UN expert called for an urgent investigation into Gorinov’s treatment and conditions of detention, including allegations of prison authorities withholding lifesaving medicine and medical treatment from him. She emphasized the need for accountability for those responsible.
I call on the Russian authorities to immediately disclose Gorinov’s whereabouts and his state of health and grant him immediate access to adequate medical care, to his family and his defense lawyers. The practice of enforced disappearance of imprisoned political figures in Russia must end, said Katzarova.
The Special Rapporteur raised concerns about Gorinov’s prolonged detention in punitive isolation under cold and damp conditions. She emphasized that his arbitrary detention and the intentional suffering inflicted on him contravene the prohibition of torture, ill-treatment, and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, as outlined by international human rights standards.
Gorinov and all those arbitrarily detained should be released immediately and provided with remedies and reparations for all the harm suffered, in line with international human rights obligations, Katzarova asserted.
Alexey Gorinov, a local politician and member of the Krasnoselsky District Municipal Council in Moscow, was arrested and detained on April 26, 2022, on charges of spreading false information about the use of the Russian armed forces. He received a seven-year prison sentence for referring to the conflict in Ukraine as a war during a discussion about a proposed exhibition of children’s drawings. Since December 8, 2023, Gorinov has been denied contact with his lawyer, his family, and the outside world.
Mariana Katzarova, a UN Special Rapporteur from Bulgaria, assumed her position on May 1, 2023. She is not a UN staff member and does not receive a salary from the Organization.
The enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention of dissident political figures in Russia highlight the urgent need for the Russian authorities to address human rights concerns. Advocates, including the UN Special Rapporteur, are calling for transparency, accountability, and the cessation of such practices to ensure the protection of individuals’ rights and freedoms within the country.
