The lawlessness that has become normal in today’s Russia is vividly illustrated by the case of MSU mathematics PhD student Azat Miftakhov. He was first sentenced to six years in prison over a broken window at a United Russia party office, despite the fact that the prosecution was essentially based on the testimony of an anonymous witness and lacked convincing evidence. He was later given a second sentence for conversations in prison: investigators described his discussions about anarchists in ordinary conversations between prisoners as “justification of terrorism.” Miftakhov did not admit guilt in either case.

Now, according to lawyers and human rights defenders, he is being tortured in prison for refusing to obey humiliating orders from the colony administration — specifically, for refusing to clean a toilet. He has reportedly been beaten, tortured with electric shocks, and threatened with rape simply for trying to preserve his dignity. It sounds absurd, like a story from the dictatorships of the last century, but this is modern-day Russia, where a person can be imprisoned on almost no grounds at all and then destroyed in prison simply for refusing to break.

Azat is currently being held in solitary confinement. In such conditions, public attention, regular lawyer visits, and letters of support are critically important. Lawyer trips to Kharp are extremely expensive, and financial support is urgently needed.

You can support Azat:
— via the Solidarité FreeAzat form for euro transfers: https://www.helloasso.com/associations/solidarite-freeazat/formulaires/3
— PayPal: firesoffreedom@protonmail.com (note: “for Azat”);
— Russian Sberbank card: 5469 3800 5929 3380, Elena Anatolyevna Gorban. When transferring to the Russian card, the purpose should be listed as “дарение”