The Moscow City Court has refused to release political scientist Alexander Kynev from pretrial detention on charges of attempted drug dealing, Mediazona reported.
During the hearing, Kynev said he could not walk normally “given the injuries I’ve sustained.” He said he had managed to reach the room where he could take part in the hearing by video link only by “climbing flight after flight of stairs” and crossing cold floors, even though his leg was “essentially in a cast.”
His lawyer, Vera Goncharova, said injuries had been inflicted on Kynev during his arrest. “If Kynev doesn’t receive medical care soon, he will be left with a permanent disability,” she said. She called his continued detention “inhumane.”
A hospital discharge summary reviewed by Judge Natalya Nikishina says Kynev was treated in a surgical ward for a closed fracture from September 25 to October 8. He was discharged in satisfactory condition and can walk independently “with the aid of a cane,” the document says.
Alexander Kynev is charged with attempted drug dealing. He was arrested on September 25. The legal reporting project Slovo Zashchite reported that Kynev was severely beaten during his arrest and was diagnosed with two fractures in his lower leg. Political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann said Kynev’s leg had been broken as he was pressured to plead guilty to treason. Schulmann did not say where she got the information.
Kynev denies the attempted drug-dealing charges.
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