Reacting to reports that Maria Ponomarenko, an unjustly imprisoned Russian journalist and anti-war activist, is at serious risk of further self-harm, Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director, said:
“The Russian authorities must act immediately to protect Maria Ponomarenko from further harm and ensure she urgently receives any healthcare she requires. The reports that she has already self-harmed and is on a dry hunger strike raise serious concerns about her wellbeing.
“While Maria Ponomarenko is in the Russian authorities’ custody – unjustly imprisoned to be exact – they are responsible for protecting her physical and mental health. We call on them to urgently grant access to an independent medical expert and an independent human rights expert to assess her conditions and treatment in detention.
“Maria Ponomarenko should have never been imprisoned in the first place and must be immediately and unconditionally released, along with all others detained under repressive ‘war censorship’ laws.
For as long as she remains in detention the authorities must ensure that Maria Ponomarenko is not subjected to any further ill-treatment or harassment.
Natalia Zviagina, Amnesty International’s Russia Director
“For as long as she remains in detention the authorities must ensure that Maria Ponomarenko is not subjected to any further ill-treatment or harassment. She has been subjected to arbitrary arrest, unjust imprisonment and ill-treatment in custody and those suspected of responsibility for these violations should be held accountable.”
Background
Maria Ponomarenko, a journalist with online media RusNews, was sentenced on 15 February 2023 to six years’ imprisonment under Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code for a social media post condemning the Russian strike on the drama theatre in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were reportedly sheltering.
She is serving her sentence in penal colony IK-6 in Shipunovo, 175 km from Barnaul, southern Siberia, where she has faced ill-treatment, including multiple placements in a disciplinary cell (SHIZO), solitary confinement and denial of adequate healthcare.
In November 2023, authorities initiated a second criminal case against Maria Ponomarenko under Article 321(2) for allegedly attacking two male penal colony officers, a charge she denies. This follows a pattern of additional punishments for political prisoners, as seen in the case of Aleksei Gorinov. The verdict in this case is expected on 27 March.
Women are increasingly targeted and prosecuted under Russia’s war censorship laws.
The right to freedom of expression and assembly are non-negotiable.
Let Maria Ponomarenko and others held under the war censorship laws know they are not alone.
Header image of Russian activist and journalist Maria Ponomarenko at court © SOTA
