Incarcerated Russian Gulag historian Yury Dmitriev was sent to disciplinary solitary confinement, known as SHIZO, after reportedly failing to perform morning exercises correctly, the Memorial Society stated on Tuesday.
Memorial—a nonprofit organization that studies political repression in the USSR and modern Russia while advocating for the rehabilitation of its victims—reported that Dmitriev, who will turn 69 next week, was moved to SHIZO last Friday.
Dmitriev was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2021 following a controversial child sex charge and is currently held at Correctional Colony No. 18 in Mordovia, a Russian republic in Eastern Europe.
According to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights watchdog, this is not the first time Dmitriev has been sent to SHIZO. In spring 2023, he spent 15 days in harsh solitary confinement simply for sitting on his bed due to dizziness from medication. OVD-Info also cited Memorial’s claim that Dmitriev has not undergone a single comprehensive medical examination during his time in prison, despite his deteriorating health.
From September to December 2022, Dmitriev faced multiple sentences to SHIZO for minor infractions such as failing to greet a prison official properly, not keeping his hands behind his back when exiting, lacking a name tag on his clothing, and even having a cat on his bed.
Dmitriev is a local historian and human rights activist from Karelia, renowned for discovering a mass grave of victims of Stalinist repression in Sandarmokh in 1997. In 2017, Memorial recognized him as a political prisoner.
During the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in March 2024, representatives from over 40 nations—including EU members and various other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia—called on Russia to allow an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
They also urged the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners, including Yury Dmitriev.
HRC officials stressed the need for Russia to dismantle its culture of impunity and create a secure environment for political opposition and critical voices. They called for reforms to oppressive legislation and an end to the political abuse of the judiciary.
Since 2012, more than 4,000 individuals have faced politically motivated criminal prosecution by Russian authorities, according to OVD-Info.
