A year ago, a Crimean Tatar political prisoner died in a pre-trial detention center

On February 10, 2023, a 60-year-old political prisoner from Crimea, Dzhemil Gafarov, died in a pre-trial detention center in Novocherkassk, Rostov region. He needed kidney dialysis, but he was not provided with qualified medical care.

The Investigative Committee refused to initiate criminal proceedings against employees of the pre-trial detention center and the medical unit.

Earlier, lawyer Rifat Yakhin brought forward several charges: failure to provide medical care to Gafarov, abuse of power and negligence. According to him, before his death, the prisoner complained several times over the course of a month to the management of the detention center about deteriorating health: he had a burning sensation in his heart, a headache, high blood pressure, and difficulty breathing.

After the death of Dzhemil Gafarov, an autopsy showed that his death was due to acute cardiovascular failure, which was caused by atherosclerotic heart disease. The political prisoner died in custody a few days after the transfer.

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