Jailed Russian journalist goes on hunger strike to protest censorship and lack of privacy

Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko, who is currently serving a six-year sentence for “spreading false information” about the Russian military, has gone on hunger strike to protest what she describes as her “inhumane treatment” by prison staff, Ponomarenko’s support group said on Thursday.

According to Ponomarenko, the toilet in her punishment cell, a special unit within the prison to which she has been repeatedly transferred for minor violations during her incarceration, is not separated in any way from the rest of the room, giving her no privacy when using the bathroom. As a result, Ponomarenko decided on Sunday to forgo food “in order to cope with her physiological needs less frequently”, the support group said.

Ponomarenko’s support group also said that the prison authorities were censoring her letters, allowing only short messages requesting meetings with her lawyer to go through, while confiscating any letters outlining the conditions she faces in prison, claiming she is spreading “false information” and “discrediting” the prison.

“The prison administration is preventing Ponomarenko from sharing what is happening to her with her loved ones,” the support group wrote, urging Ponomarenko’s supporters to write to Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov and Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova about her case.

A native of the Siberian city of Barnaul and a former reporter for independent news outlet RusNews, in 2023 Ponomarenko was convicted of “spreading false information” about the Russian military for a Telegram post she wrote about the Russian siege of Mariupol.

In addition, Ponomarenko was given an additional term of one year and 10 months after being found guilty of “assaulting prison staff” in late March. Using her court hearing as a rare opportunity to speak out, Ponomarenko told the court about her recent suicide attempt, which she said came as a result of beatings and torture at the hands of prison staff.

Ponomarenko said she had “never seen as much violence anywhere” as she had in Russia’s penitentiary system and that her torture and harassment by prison staff had “reached its peak” over the last few months, ultimately prompting her to attempt to take her own life.