Denial of adequate medical examination and treatment_Fear for the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. Taisia Osipova

Via Fax: + 7 495 206 5173 / 230 2408

Email: president@gov.ru

Geneva, 21 June 2011

Re: Fear for the physical and psychological integrity of Ms.Taisia Osipova – Denial of adequate medical treatment

YourExcellency,

The WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT), the largest Network of NGOs fighting against torture,summary executions, enforced disappearances and all other cruel, inhuman ordegrading treatment or punishment in the world, is writing to you to expressits concern about the serious health problems of Ms. Taisia Osipova, 26 years old, who is currently detained in poorconditions in the pre-trial detention centre (SIZO) 1, in Smolensk, province ofSmolensk. She has been denied adequate medical treatment since her arrest on 23 November 2010, although she is suffering frommultiple chronic diseases.

OMCT has been informed by reliablesources that, on 23 November 2010, around 20 policemen andofficers from the Department to Combat Extremism entered violently Ms. TaisiaOsipova’s house, in Smolensk. The officers reportedlywent from one room to another turning everything upside down while forcing Ms.Taisia Osipova to stay with her daughter in one of the rooms. Ms. TaisiaOsipova was arrested and brought to the pre-trial detention centre (SIZO) 1, inSmolensk, after the officers allegedly foundfive packs of greyish substance among her daughter's clothes and a marked 500-rublenote. Upon arrival at the detention centre, she was examined by a prison doctoronly for bruises on her arms that she sustained during the arrest.

Ms. Taisia Osipova was later chargedwith illegal distribution of drugs by the Zadneprovskiy district court, in Smolensk, and she was remanded incustody pending investigation. On 3 May 2011, the court refused torelease her on bail. The following hearing has been scheduled for 21 June 2011.

Since her arrest, Ms. Taisia Osipovahas reportedly suffered pressure by officers of the Department to CombatExtremism in order to obtain a confession to the alleged aforementioned crime andinformation about her husband, who is a senior member of the politicalopposition party, Drugaya Russia[1].Thepressure has reportedly included threats to remove her parental right over herdaughter if she refuses to collaborate; poor conditions of detention (she isheld in a tiny cell with six more persons although the cell is meant for fourpersons, with no running water. Despite the temperature of more than 20degrees, the windows are tightly shut up with two frames. The official Russianradio is reportedly on the whole day which makes it impossible to have anyrest) and denial of adequate medical treatment, although she has been sufferingfrom sugar diabetes, pancreatitis, chronic pyelonephritis and chronictoxic-allergic hepatitis.

According to the same information received, Ms. Taisia Osipova was diagnosedwith sugar diabetes type 1 in 2005, at the Hospital of Smolensk. She had been underinsulin treatment and she had been controlling her sugar level with aglucometer since then. However, she has been denied adequate medical follow-up,including the use of a glucometer, and she has not been provided a diabeticdiet since her arrest. In December 2010, she reportedly suffered a hypoglycemiccoma but she was neither hospitalised nor examined by a prison doctor. She wasonly later in the month examined by a prison doctor who reportedly diagnosed adiabetes type 2, although she had been suffering from diabetes type 1 since2005. Ms. Taisia Osipova was informed about the result only through her lawyer,who himself got the information from the media.

Ms. Taisia Osipova hadalso been under medical treatment for chronic pyelonephritis, pancreatitis andchronic toxic-allergic hepatitis, diseases that were diagnosed in 2009, at theUromed hospital, in Smolensk. Nevertheless, she has alsonot been provided with adequate medical care for these diseases since herarrest. After several requests to the prison administration, an ultrasoundscanning was eventually conducted on Ms. Taisia Ospivoa in March 2011. However,she only received the medical report in May 2011 and it reportedly stated thatshe did not suffer from any of the aforementioned diseases. It is feared thatthe report was fabricated. OMCT has also been informed that the prisonauthorities have threatened Ms. Taisia Osipova with reprisals, includingsolitary confinement, if she would continue to complain about her conditions ofdetention and the lack of adequate medical treatment.

At the same time, Ms. TaisiaOsipova's lawyer reportedly presented several requests for a complete medicalcheck-up of Ms. Taisia Osipova on the basis of Article 110, paragraph 1.1 ofthe Code of Criminal Procedures of the Russian Federation, which allows for theprovisional release from pre-trial detention of individuals with serious healthconditions (including diabetes type 1), but to no avail. Ms. Taisia Osipova'slawyer subsequently filed a lawsuit before the Leninskiy district court of Smolensk. On 16 June 2011, the court reportedly ordered theprison administration to ensure a medical examination of Ms. Taisia Osipova. Todate, no such medical examination was carried out.

The International Secretariat ofOMCT is concerned about the physical and psychological integrity of Ms. TaisiaOsipova. OMCT has been informed that Ms. Taisia Osipova's health hasdeteriorated. She has lost weight and suffers from accrue pain in the kidneysarea. She has also reportedly developed allergy to some unidentified source. OMCTfears that adequate medical examination and treatment are being denied to Ms.Taisia Osipova to put pressure on her. OMCT is concern also about herconditions of detention and the circumstances of her arrest.

OMCT recalls that the RussianFederation is legally bound to effectively ensure the physical andpsychological integrity of all persons deprived of liberty in accordance withregional and international human rights law, and in particular, the EuropeanConvention on Human Rights, the recommendations of the European Committee forthe Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, theConvention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment orPunishment, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UNStandard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Accordingly, OMCT calls on the competentauthorities to ensure that Ms. Taisia Osipova is promptly examined byindependent doctors and that she receives adequate medical treatment. OMCT alsourges the competent authorities to release her in theabsence of valid legal charges and judicial process consistent withinternational legal standards, or if such chargesexist, bring her before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee herprocedural rights at all times.

OMCT hopes that theconcerns expressed in this letter will receive the attention they deserve.

Yours sincerely

EricSottas

SecretaryGeneral, OMCT

[1] Drugaya Russia is a non-registered partythat was created on the basis of the coalition under the same name after itfell apart. The coalition was the moving force of Dissenters' Marches held in the period of2006 to 2008.