Political prisoner and human rights activist Marfa Rabkova is being deprived of medical assistance, and her correspondence is blocked

Political prisoner and human rights activist Marfa Rabkova is being deprived of medical assistance again, and her correspondence is blocked.

In one of the recent letters to her family, Marfa wrote that last week (late November - early December), she tried to get an ultrasound appointment due to spasmodic stomach pains. She requested the appointment six times, but no reaction from the detention center administration.

In addition, the administration of the pre-trial detention center does not send out Marfa’s letters in which she mentions criminal articles brought against. The administration simply returns these letters to her.

Marfa wrote:

“I am sending those letters back to the administration unchanged, because this is not regarded an investigatory privilege. Yesterday I enclosed a note to the censor in the letter, explaining them that there are no legal norms according to which I cannot mention the numbers of articles under which I’m being accused.”

Marfa Rabkova is a human rights activist and coordinator of Viasna's Volunteer Service. She was detained together with her husband Vadzim Zharomski on September 17, 2020. At first, she was charged under Part 3 of Art. 293 of the Criminal Code (“training or other preparation of persons to participate in riots, or funding such activities”). On February 11, Marfa Rabkovafaced new criminal charges of “inciting social hostility to the government by a group of unidentified individuals” (Part 3 of Art. 130) and “involvement in a criminal organization” (Part 2 of Art. 285 of the Criminal Code). In late November 2021, Marfa wrote to her family that she was facing up to 20 years in prison under 11 charges. Marfa has been imprisoned for over 14 months now.