A UN human rights expert on Friday strongly condemned the jailing of a 68-year-old paediatrician in Moscow, describing the case as another example of Russia’s “systematic suppression of dissenting voices”.
Dr. Nadezhda Buyanova was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for allegedly making anti-war remarks concerning Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, during a private medical consultation.
“It is appalling to sentence a doctor for unproven private comment in the course of her professional duties,” said Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation.
The case originated when the widow of a Russian serviceman killed in Ukraine filed a complaint alleging that Dr. Buyanova made derogatory statements about her deceased husband during their child’s medical appointment.
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According to the complaint, the doctor allegedly described the father as a “legitimate target for the Ukrainian army” and stated that “Russia is to blame as it is the aggressor”.
The court reportedly relied on a pre-trail interview with the seven-year-old and the advanced phrasing involved suggested the testimony had likely been scripted. The child was not allowed to be cross-examined, undermining the fairness of proceedings, said the independent Human Rights Council-appointed expert.
Dr. Buyanova, who was born in Lviv, Ukraine, has rejected the allegations against her. Responding to accusations of anti-Russian bias, she stated, “I am related to three ethnicities: Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. I don’t want to have to choose between them”.
“This rushed trial based primarily on the testimony of a seven-year-old child, is yet another example of sham trials in Russia, targeting individuals simply for their anti-war stance,” Ms. Katzarova said.
The proceedings have raised concerns regarding unfairness for relying on the child’s testimony whose statement contained advanced phrasing, while denying the defence of any opportunity for cross-examination.