Health condition of anti-fascist Alexei Olesinov, who is held at

Moscow's Medvedkovo pre-trial detention centre as a suspect in the

"Moscow antifa case" for allegedly participating in a brawl, has sharply

deteriorated. Independent expert evaluation, conducted by the Pavlov

State Medical University in St Petersburg, confirmed that Olesinov risks

becoming permanently disabled.

However, the pre-trial detention centre

administration has opposed bringing outside doctors to treat him.

Opposition activists say that should Olesinov's health be significantly

damaged, active protests by radical-left youth may ensue.

As [Russian business newspaper] RBK Daily reported earlier, at the

moment in Moscow and other Russian cities a series of criminal cases

concerning brawls between ultra-left and ultra-right youths are being

investigated. During investigative actions, law-enforcement officers

repeatedly said that they want to prove via a court procedure the

existence of the antifa extremist community, which has violent actions

against nationalists as its purpose. Law-enforcers consider Alexei

Olesinov, also known as Shkobar, to be one of the leaders of the antifa.

As Olesinov's lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina told RBK Daily, the health of

her client has been steadily deteriorating. Sometimes he loses his

bearings, cannot remember where he's at, and depression suddenly

replaces euphoria. Doctors suspect that Olesinov may suffer from

post-traumatic encephalopathy.

Olesinov also suffers from strong, painful coughing. A chest X-ray made

at the pre-trial detention centre showed a blackening in the lung, which

may indicate tuberculosis. Sidorkina said that in the eight months her

client spent in pre-trial detention, investigators only spoke to him once.

Independent expert evaluation, conducted by the Pavlov State Medical

University in St Petersburg, had indicated that Olesinov may become

permanently disabled, and requires serious check-up. As outside medics

are not allowed to visit pre-trial detention centres, the expert

evaluation was conducted on the basis of Olesinov's pre-detention health

record and his responses to questions drawn up by doctors.

Sidorkina said that she was informed by pre-trial detention centre's

administration that her client can be provided with all required medical

services at Medvedkovo. The dispute between the lawyer and the prison

administration is to be heard by a court in early December.

Federal Penal Service press service said they are unable to comment on

the quality of medical services provided to those held at Medvedkovo

pre-trial detention centre. Member of the Public Supervisory Committee

(ONK) Anna Karetnikova told RBK Daily that Moscow's only fully

functional prison hospital is located at the Matrosskaya Tishina

pre-trial detention centre, and forwarding detainees there from other

isolators often becomes a problem. Another ONK member, Maria Kannabikh,

said that while Medvedkovo is generally considered to be one of Moscow's

best pre-trial detention centres, all prison administrations are often

unwilling to let suspects be examined by outside medics, as that may be

complicated by the need to organise escorting of detainees.

Member of the opposition Coordination Council Alexei Gaskarov told RBK

Daily that Olesinov is indeed well-known in the anti-fascist community.

Thus, should he become disabled during his pre-trial imprisonment, when

he was not even found guilty by a court, very radical protests may

ensue, Gaskarov said.

This is the second criminal case concerning Olesinov. When he was first

arrested in 2008 [also for brawling with nationalists outside a Moscow

club], radical protesters torched several cars and buildings belonging

to police and other state bodies, and posted videos on-line.

By Alexander Litoy, RBK Daily newspaper website, Nov. 20, 2012

http://www.rbcdaily.ru/2012/11/20/society/562949985172563

Via

http://avtonom.org/news/aleksey-olesinov-riskuet-stat-invalidom-v-tyurme

https://avtonom.org/en/freenews/moscow-anti-fascist-may-become-permanent...