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Pussy Riot member Tolokonnikova may be hospitalized soon

Convicted Nadezhda Tolokonnikova continues hunger strike and needs medical supervision

Photo ITAR-TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov

Photo ITAR-TASS/Stanislav Krasilnikov

MOSCOW, September 26. (ITAR-TASS). Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, convicted member of the Pussy Riot punk group may be hospitalized, according to Maria Kannabikh, member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights (HRC) and Public Chamber (PC) of Russia.

"I have received a complaint from Tolokonnikova about health, she has a strong pain in the back, she should be examined. Moreover, she continues her hunger strike and must be put under medical supervision. Perhaps she will be placed in hospital," Kannabikh said in an interview with Itar-Tass.

She said the members of the HRC visited another two penal colonies, #2 and #13. "The colony #13 is worse than the colony #14, where Tolokonnikova serves her sentence. It is worse in terms of material resources. Colony #2 is currently being renovated. The orphanage is being repaired," she said. Kannabikh also noted that she received only two complaints from female convicts, and her colleagues from the HRC received more.

"Members of the working group are currently drafting a report on their visit to the colonies," member of the HRC Ilya Shablinski told Itar-Tass. Earlier, he claimed that in the penal colony where Tolokonnikova is serving her sentence rules of the Labor Code were violated, and the convicts worked more than 8 hours a day, did not get necessary training and this resulted in labor injuries. In addition, he said, “plumbing fixtures (toilets and bidets) were installed in the units only in the last few weeks, and before that, according to reports from the convicts, they had to use the toilet outdoors, and it was possible to do so only accompanied by a team of bodyguards or collectively”. According to Shablinski, he also received complaints on the food, in particular, the use of moldy cereals.

Member of the HRC Elena Masyuk through refused to give any comments until the report is ready. “There is a lot of controversial information that needs to be interpreted,” she said.

Earlier, a team of HRC members visited the colony, where Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is serving her sentence. Previously, she addressed to the media with a letter, in which she accused the administration of the correctional facility in violation of the convicts’ rights and reported about threat to her life.

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