Kaliningrad, Russia — A United Nations human rights expert has sharply criticized the detention of a Kaliningrad human rights lawyer, asserting that her arrest seems to be a direct response to her advocacy for political prisoners. The lawyer, Maria Bontsler, 64, has long been a prominent defender of human rights within the country, despite facing health challenges.
Mariana Katzarova, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia, issued a statement condemning what she termed a case of judicial harassment. Katzarova characterized Bontsler’s arrest as politically motivated, emphasizing it as another instance of diminishing legal independence in Russia.
Bontsler has spent decades representing conscripts and political prisoners, including Igor Baryshnikov, an activist sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his social media commentary on Russia’s ongoing military actions in Ukraine. Katzarova noted that the timing of Bontsler’s arrest coincided with recent European Union sanctions against 28 Russian officials, including the presiding judge in Baryshnikov’s trial.
The crackdown on dissent in Russia has intensified following the invasion of Ukraine, shaping an increasingly hostile environment for those opposing the government. Katzarova expressed specific concerns regarding the conditions of Bontsler’s detention, highlighting reports that she has been denied critical medical care for serious hypertension along with inadequate access to food and water.
The International Commission of Jurists has also condemned Bontsler’s arrest, marking it as part of a broader trend of repressing human rights advocates. Katzarova had previously voiced her apprehensions regarding the sentencing of Grigory Melkonyants, another prominent figure championing electoral transparency in Russia, while shedding light on the perils that political prisoners endure in Russian incarceration.
Bontsler’s case serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced by those daring to challenge the status quo and defend the rights of others. As this situation unfolds, attention to the treatment of human rights defenders in Russia remains critical.
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