In Kazakhstan, a convicted invalid fasts for more than a month

Convicted invalid, Petr Sh., serving a sentence in the penal colony УК 161/2 (a strict regime colony in Kostanay region), went on hunger strike on February 22. According to human rights activist Elena Semenova, a week ago, the prisoner went on a dry hunger strike.

According to Semenova, the disabled person took such a step in protest against criminal acts organized in the colony.

“Petr wrote a statement that he went on a hunger strike and handed it to the assistant of the head of the institution. He also wrote to all organizations to which he could write. However, they didn’t send these statements, and it was only on March 4 that they managed to transfer these statements through the investigator of the corruption department. In this case, I doubt very much that the investigator sent these statements to the destination,” Semenova said.

She also said that she filed a statement with the Prosecutor’s office, in which she reported on the protest of the convict. The Prosecutor’s office submitted this statement to the Office of its own security.

“The investigator from the Office of its own security came to the convict, but, as the convict said, the check was carried out formally. The investigator ignored the answers that were in the convict’s dossier and were not handed him,” the legal defender states.

At the same time, she adds that Petr Sh. also applied to the Senate of the Parliament. However, he subsequently received a response from the Senate Administration that no statement had been received from him.

“As I understand, this can only mean one thing: falsification of fictitious outcomes that the staff of the institution do for convicts who write complaints,” Semenova says, adding that the state of health of the convict, according to his relatives, has significantly worsened during the hunger strike.

“I would like to address the deputy chief for medical and preventive work, who is trying to defend her dignity and honor. Probably, you spent the whole month deciding what to do, how to file a lawsuit, looking for a lawyer to protect you, preparing a lawsuit… And what did you do for the convicted disabled person? What kind of measures have you taken for a disabled person who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month, and almost a week on a dry hunger strike? When was the last time you went to the unit for invalids, where he is? When did you examine him and invite him to the medical unit? Do you know that it’s difficult for him to walk, and he needs help to move around? What, in fact, do you know about the health of convicted disabled person Petr Sh., who has been on a hunger strike for more than a month at your departmental institution? And the main question is why the convicted disabled person is still not in the medical unit?” Semenova asks unpleasant questions.

Apparently, the questions of the human rights activist were addressed to the deputy chief for medical and preventive work of the penal colony УК 161/2, Gulmizra Myrzaly, who filed a lawsuit against Semenova. Recall that not only Myrzaly, but also the colony’s administration sued the human rights activist with charges of insulting honor and dignity and demanding to publish refutations of publications previously posted on Facebook.