Political prisoner Ihor Baryshnikov underwent surgery
Kaliningrad activist Ihor Baryshnikov, suffering from oncology and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in the case of the so-called fakes about the Russian army, underwent surgery. He had been waiting for her since March 2023.
The operation was scheduled three days after the appeal of his defenders to the UN, reports Sever.Realii with reference to the activist’s girlfriend. “Ihor could not get the operation for a long time, he was in pain. He was operated on by the head of the urology department of the regional clinical hospital. Now he is in the post-operative ward,” she said.
Baryshnikov suffers from prostate adenoma. In the spring of last year, doctors installed a cytostomy tube in his stomach to drain fluid, which needs to be washed daily. He went to the colony with her. In December 2023, Igor’s condition was close to critical – because of the tube, he could not sit or lie down normally, walked with difficulty.
Even before the conclusion, Baryshnikov underwent a biopsy, which confirmed the presence of cancer cells in the prostate. In February of this year, he was already sent from the colony for medical examination and a repeat biopsy was performed. But this study did not reveal cancer. However, his defense insisted on the operation.
Baryshnikov’s defense appealed to the UN for help in August 2024. The UN Human Rights Committee obliged Russia to immediately start treatment.
Igor Baryshnikov is a well-known Kaliningrad activist, he participated in street protests against the policies of the Russian authorities and in support of Alexei Navalny, he was arrested several times.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, five administrative protocols were drawn up against the activist for the so-called discrediting of the Russian army, as well as for insulting the authorities. According to Baryshnikov, the reason was his posts about military actions in Ukraine, as well as his emotional statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the summer of 2023, Baryshnikov was sentenced to 7.5 years in the case of “fakes” about the Russian army, which he allegedly posted on his Facebook page. At the same time, according to the activist and his lawyer, the page was closed and only friends could read it, but the police stated in court that the profile was open.
Shortly after the verdict, Igor Baryshnikov’s mother died, but the convict was not allowed to go to the funeral. “Memorial” recognized Ihor Baryshnikov as a political prisoner.
