The Human Rights Center "Memorial" publishes lists of political prisoners as of March 1, 2018.
Over the last four months, since the publication of the previous lists on October 29, 2017, the total number of political prisoners has grown by 26 people (from 117 people).
In total, these lists contain the names of 143 people: 46 people in the general list of political prisoners and 97 people in the list of individuals deprived of their liberty in connection with the realization of the right to freedom of religion.
Although these lists are far from being complete and the term «political prisoner» is relative, they give a minimum estimate number of people illegally imprisoned for political reasons by the Russian authorities and show the dynamics of the situation in this sphere.
Over the last four months, since the publication of the previous lists on October 29, 2017, the total number of political prisoners has grown by 26 people (from 117 people).
The growth has been solely due to the persecution in connection with the realization of religious freedom and religious affiliation.
The number of people in the general list of political prisoners that contains the names of all political prisoners, except those persecuted in connection with the realization of the right to freedom of religion and religious affiliation, practically has not changed: on October 29, 2017 it contained 47 people, and on March 1, 2018, 46 people.
Over these months, D.Bogatov, D. Buchenkov, Y. Dmitriev, v. Yegorov, R.Kashapov, J.Kuliy, R.Kutayev, M.Panfilov, I.Tutisani were released (released from places of deprivation of liberty, forced hospitalization, from custody or house arrest).
During the same period, the names of the opposition activist M. Galperin, I.Ivanov, A.Mamayev, A.Orshulevich and N.Sentsov accused of the case of the Baltic Avant-garde of the Russian resistance, the Ukrainian citizen v. Prysych sentenced in Crimea, the Kaliningrad journalist I.Rudnikov, and the Chechen human rights activist O. Titiev were added on the list.
The number of people persecuted in connection with the realization of the right to freedom of religion and religious affiliations on the list has increased from 70 to 97 over the four months.
The list has grown principally at the expense of those persecuted for participating in the organization of Hizb ut-Tahrir that was groundlessly labelled as «terrorist» in the Russian Federation, the only country in the world. Most of them were convicted in two cases in Tatarstan: A.Adiev, A. Khafizov, R.Zaripov, A.Valiullin, T.Uzbekov, L.Saitov, R.Davletshin, P.Hevronin and A.Hakimullin, I.Battalov, M. Dindarov, I. Shavkatov, R. Gataullin; while the others have been defendants in a similar case in Crimea: M.Aliyev, E.Bekirov, v. Siruk, E.-U.Kuku, R.Alimov, A.Dzhepparov.
Besides them, the names of Z.Dapaev, S.Kaltuyev and A.Kaltuev, residents of Dagestan who were convicted for studying the works of the theologian S.Nursi, and those of the parishioners of the Church of Scientology from St. Petersburg — S.Aliyev, K.Esaulkova, I.Matsitsky, A.Terentieva, G.Shurinova — were added on the list.