Russian activist imprisoned for ‘war fakes’ refused permission to attend his mother’s funeral

A Kaliningrad resident who was convicted to seven years and six months in prison for spreading “falsehoods” about the Russian army, was denied permission to attend his own mother’s funeral, lawyer Maria Bontsler told the region’s Novy Kaliningrad newspaper.

Igor Baryshnikov appealed to the court to allow him to take an escorted furlough to travel to the town of Sovetsk for the funeral, which was due to take place on 9 August. No reason for the court’s ruling was given.

Bontsler added that Baryshnikov, who suffers from chronic illness, is currently in a prison hospital ward. The activist was promised he would be taken to the central regional hospital for medical tests later in August, after which the authorities would decide whether he was fit to serve his prison sentence. Earlier, Baryshnikov’s chronic illness flared up and he started showing possible cancer symptoms.

Yevgenia Baryshnikova, the activist’s mother, died on 7 August at the age of 96, living for less than two months after her son was imprisoned. Unable to walk towards the end, Baryshnikova was cared for by Baryshnikov’s wife.

Baryshnikov was prosecuted for Facebook posts he made about the Mariupol maternity clinic shelling, the Bucha massacre, and the sinking of the Moskva warship. A Kaliningrad court sentenced the 64-year-old activist on 22 June, and ordered that his elderly mother be handed over to the care authorities.