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From left to right: Arseniy Turbin, Aleksander Skobov, Nadezhda Rossinskaya and Alexei Liptser. Photos: private. Background: AI-generated.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Frankfurt am Main, 29 October 2026 \u2013<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Ahead of tomorrow\u2019s Political Prisoners Day in Russia, the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) warns of the extent of political persecution under Vladimir Putin and criticizes the statement by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who described the Russian president as a \u201chumanitarian\u201d. While Russia\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine claims lives every day, critics within Russia itself are also being persecuted, sentenced to long prison terms and deprived of their freedom. The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) calls for their release and the protection of their rights to be made concrete conditions for any negotiations with the Putin regime.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAnyone negotiating with Vladimir Putin cannot forget the people who are imprisoned, persecuted and deprived of their freedom under his rule. Nor can the victims of Russia\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine be overlooked. Human rights must play a central role in every diplomatic initiative,\u201d comments Edgar Lamm, chairman of the ISHR German Section.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thousands of Political Prisoners \u2013 A System of Repression<\/strong><\/p>\n The database of the Russian human rights organization OVD-Info lists a total of 6,808 people who have faced politically motivated criminal proceedings. 2,366 of them are currently in custody; more than 10 people have died in prison. Cases of inadequate medical care, unhealthy detention conditions and mistreatment during incarceration have been documented.<\/p>\n In Russia, the persecution of political opponents extends far beyond prominent opposition figures. It also targets people who are branded as \u201cextremists\u201d or \u201cforeign agents\u201d under Russian law. This brandmark serves to intimidate independent organizations, human rights defenders, scholars, journalists and government critics and to hinder them in their work.<\/p>\n Behind every number is a person<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The scale of the persecution becomes particularly tangible through the individual stories. Arsenij Turbin<\/a>, who was only 14 years old at the time of his arrest, was sentenced in 2024 to five years\u2019 imprisonment for distributing homemade leaflets opposing Russia\u2019s war of aggression; his imprisonment has caused significant harm to his physical development and mental health.<\/p>\n Alexander Skobov<\/a>, a 66-year-old historian who was a well-known and persecuted dissident already during the Soviet era, was sentenced last year to 16 years\u2019 imprisonment for his criticism of the war and of Putin; he is regularly subjected to solitary confinement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In 2025, Nadezhda Rossinskaya<\/a> was sentenced to 22 years in prison and a heavy fine for providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian war victims; on 26 October 2026, she was transferred to a hospital in Barnaul after having been denied adequate medical care for a long time, despite repeated complaints and her deteriorating health.<\/p>\n Lawyers who have had the courage to defend political prisoners in today\u2019s Russia are also being persecuted by the authorities. In this context, the ISHR reminds of Alexei Liptser<\/a>, a lawyer for the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2025 and, one year later, was transferred to a penal colony in Abakan, Southern Siberia \u2013 more than 4,300 kilometers away from his family. Liptser suffers from a severe herniated disc but is still forced to perform hard physical labor and must carry 40 buckets, each containing ten liters, twice a day*.<\/p>\n *Shortly after the publication of this press release, the ISHR learnt from reliable sources that Alexei had been exempted from heavy physical labor one month ago and is no longer obliged to carry out such duties \u2013 a development which the ISHR warmly welcomes.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n30. Oktober: Gedenktag f\u00fcr die Opfer politischer Unterdr\u00fcckung in Russland<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Russia: Putin, a \u201cHumanitarian\u201d? \u2013 The ISHR draws attention to thousands of politically persecuted people<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
The ISHR calls for human rights and the release of those arbitrarily detained to be made an integral part of diplomatic talks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n