The journalist told about the beating in the Biysk pre-trial detention center and mental institution

Journalist and activist from Barnaul Mariya Ponomarenko, who was sentenced to six years in prison in the case of the so-called fakes about the Russian army, in a new letter told how she feels after being beaten and placed in a psychiatric clinic for several days.

“10 days have passed, but I haven’t come to my senses yet, I feel devastated. I understand everything, I’m not an angel, and the conditions do not affect my general condition in the best way, but I didn’t attack anyone, I didn’t make suicide attempts – I’m justified in being placed in a mental hospital there was none. And even if there were reasons, in any case, no one had the right to beat me,” Ponomarenko wrote.

The journalist claims that after the sentencing, she was transferred from Barnaul to Biysk pre-trial detention center-2. There, FSIN officers began to search her, demanding that Ponomarenko undress. After that, she “began hysterical”, in response she was “thrown onto the search table, her hands were wrapped and tied”, and the ambulance was released. When the medics arrived, she was “beaten, thrown against walls and steps, choked, punched in the stomach and chest,” and then “pushed into an ambulance with a hood pulled over her face, for accidentally stepping on the couch.”

“Guys, please don’t leave crimes to non-medical people, society is capable of many things, sadists have no right to work in medicine,” the activist added.

Ponomarenko was taken to a local psychiatric hospital, where she was kept for three days. In the medical facility, according to the activist, an orderly named Maksym hit her on the cheeks, stomach, and chest because she “didn’t finish her cocoa on time.” She claims that the hospital staff said that “this is Biysk, where there is power.” Now she is again in SIZO-2 Biysk, Sibir.Realii reports.

• In February 2023, the Leninsky District Court of Barnaul sentenced Maria Ponomarenko to six years in prison in the criminal case of “fakes” about the army for publication in the “No Censorship” Telegram channel. In her post, it was said that the Russian military destroyed the drama theater in Mariupol, “buried under the rubble hundreds of people” who were hiding there from the bombings. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied that the Russian military had bombed the theater, and the courts have already recognized reports of the bombing as “fake” several times.
• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the sentence of journalist Maria Ponomarenko.
• From April to November 2022, during the investigation of the case and its consideration by the court, Ponomarenko was in SIZO-1 of Barnaul. In a correspondence with Sibir.Realiya, the activist said that during her arrest she had developed “a lot of anxiety and anxieties”, and her claustrophobia had also worsened. In September, she committed suicide in solitary confinement.
• Since November, Ponomarenko was under house arrest, but in January 2023, she was again returned to the pre-trial detention center due to violation of the restraining order. According to the activist, she had to leave her home due to violence from her ex-husband, who does not support her views.
• Maria Ponomarenko has two minor children.