Management of the Armavir Pre-Trial Detention Center Is Slow to Treat an Elderly Believer. The Life of Nikolay Kuzichkin Is in Jeopardy

68-year-old Nikolay Kuzichkin is suspected of cancer in several organs and a number of serious chronic diseases. The diagnoses were partially made even before the arrest, but the doctors of the Armavir pre-trial detention center No. 2 do not conduct a full examination and treatment, putting Nikolai's life in danger.

An elderly piano tuner was detained on October 10, 2019 during a large-scale raid by security forces in Sochi and its environs. Nikolay is suspected of extremism on the grounds that he adheres to the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, although this is not prohibited.

After the arrest of a non-smoker, a seriously ill Kuzichkin was put in a cell with smokers. This alone violates Article 33 of the Federal Law "On the Detention of Suspects and Accused of Committing Crimes".

Initially, there were not enough beds in the cell, so the detainees were forced to sleep in turns - there were only 10 beds for 18 people.

After numerous complaints, including from strangers but not indifferent people, the conditions of Nikolay's detention improved. "At least there are enough beds for everyone," says Nikolai's lawyer.

However, in the pre-trial detention center, Kuzichkin cannot receive the treatment he underwent before his arrest. For many years, Nicholas successfully restrained the development of diseases with the help of traditional medicine. Now he has been deprived of this opportunity. As a result, Nikolay's condition began to deteriorate sharply, he lost more than 20 kilograms in weight. Those who saw Nicholas during the court hearings say that he lost a lot of weight, his voice weakened, and his speech became confused.

At the end of October, Kuzichkin appealed to the head of the Armavir pre-trial detention center, Maxim Tereshchenko, with a request for a medical examination, but was refused. According to Tereshchenko, Kuzichkin's illnesses are not included in the "list of diseases that impede detention."

Later, Nikolai Kuzichkin was still examined, but superficial. At the end of December, the doctors of the Clinical Oncology Center No. 1 of Krasnodar gave the same answer as Tereshchenko.

At the same time, Kuzichkin's illnesses are contained in the "List of serious diseases that impede detention", section "Diseases of the endocrine system".

According to Kuzichkin's lawyer, his condition is accompanied by numerous symptoms of cancer.

"The doctors of the Krasnodar cancer center were supposed to conduct an in-depth examination, but this was not done," says the lawyer.

Kuzichkin's friends and relatives try to support him, regularly passing food to the pre-trial detention center. Previously, Nikolay could not be seen even during the court hearings in Sochi, because they were held behind closed doors. On December 30, 2019, the Krasnodar Regional Court concluded that this procedure for the administration of justice was illegal, but still left Kuzichkin in custody.

In this situation, the victim is not only Nikolai, but also his wife Olga, who herself has a disability. She does not share her husband's religious beliefs, but his criminal prosecution deprived the woman of a breadwinner - only Nikolai worked in the family, despite his age.

Religious repressions in Russia lead to the fact that entire families suffer because of "extremist" cases, and a whole layer of elderly believers accused of extremism is also created.