Who/what could help?

[chush 0]

First of all, I am on this site already, but for anonymity purposes, I have created this account specifically to explain the situation and seek help.

So without further adieu, here is the situation.

My husband's brother is in trouble. I won't go into detail, but he is in prison in Russia. He did not commit a terrible crime (nothing like murder or rape or anything of that sort). He has been in prison for a few months already, and is still awaiting judgement. During this time, he has been in several different rooms, as they keep moving him around and even transferred him to another prison station. This past time, he was put into a cell that had poor ventilation, mosquito problems, and a sick cell mate with Hepatitis C (Which you may know, this disease is easily transmitted by blood.). What's more, while transferring the prisoners, they keep them in metal boxes outside with little to no ventilation, and now, he was sent to the doctor in the prison for "lung problems". His mother, tried to give him a bottle of water before he was closed inside the metal box, and they told her she was not allowed. So as you can imagine, sitting in the metal box, in the summer heat, with hardly any ventilation and no water, he came out of it in bad health. The doctor told his mother who came to visit him after that, that she better do something (like get him proper health care at an actual hospital). The guards would not disclose information on his status and would not allow his mother to see him. The guard even pushed her back and cursed at her. When she asked him what his name was and who his supervisor was, he scoffed at her and told her she will never know his name and to leave because she would not be helped. She is supposed to go see him tomorrow, but she is afraid they will not let her in to see him. The judge has the option to send him home on house arrest, but for some reason, they don't do that, even though the crime he is being accused for is quite petty in comparison to murder. In fact, my husband said he wishes that his brother had committed a more serious crime, then they would actually send him home on house arrest (because, that's how ###-backwards Russia's laws really are).

So now that the situation is understandable, my question is: what can we do to get help for his brother? Is there some sort of human rights organization that could do something? This is wrong. No matter what the prisoner did, they are still human and deserve to be treated as so. As an American citizen, knowing our laws and our rights, I am appalled to hear how my husband's brother is being treated. The family members not being allowed to see him, know his health condition, pretty much know anything that's going on, which is simply unheard of here in America. And that's unfortunate, that Russian laws are so whack. But there should be something done, reform, justice, because what they are doing, what they're getting away with is inhumane and disgusting. Do you not agree?

[canadian_wife 1,824]

I know nothing of the legal code in Russia, but have you contacted a human rights lawyer there? It sounds like anything you need to do will have to originate from Russia.

I am very sorry this has happened.

Good luck

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi,

This is pretty much an internal Russian matter. There is little that the international community can do to help.

Best of luck.

[*Snowdrop* 604]

Here's a list of some human rights organizations which deal with Russia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Human_rights_organizations_based_in_Russia

You'll probably have to do a lot of emailing to see if there is someone who can help your particular situation.

Someone on the ground there might be able to tell you whether 'money' is going to be able to help smooth the way and how to achieve that. That might be a way you are able to help your brother-in-law. Paying for a human rights lawyer in Russia or sending money to your mother-in-law to help her deal with the situation.

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

As an American citizen, knowing our laws and our rights, I am appalled to hear how my husband's brother is being treated.

I think you have some misunderstanding thinking that Russian prisons are as cushy and full of human rights as many prisons in the US. They're not and everyone in Russia knows it. I don't think "poor ventilation" and "mosquito problems" would be even considered as a problem there, nobody is going to install window screens or provide ceiling fans for inmates, it's Russian prison, not a Russian resort. I don't say it's fair, but most of what you said doesn't sound to me like anything unusual for prisons in Russia. There should be some human rights organizations but they have very little power over government institution, basically all they can do is to try to bring the problem to mass media or help you to file legal complaint. If you want to complain about situation with your husband's brother, you need to file a complaint to the prosecutor's office there, because in Russia government prosecutors are supposed to supervise and inspect prisons, and they actually have some real power over the situation. Doesn't mean it always helps because like I said in Russia prisons are never on the level of US prisons and if you will mention something like a mosquito problem, the whole prosecutor's office will laugh at you. Health problems can be a real reason to complain. Just FYI I've never been in prison myself but I've heard quite a bit about them back in Russia since we had a few prisons in my hometown.

- Victor from Russia

Edited July 14, 2016 by Amy_and_Victor

[chush 0]

I think you have some misunderstanding thinking that Russian prisons are as cushy and full of human rights as many prisons in the US. They're not and everyone in Russia knows it. I don't think "poor ventilation" and "mosquito problems" would be even considered as a problem there, nobody is going to install window screens or provide ceiling fans for inmates, it's Russian prison, not a Russian resort. I don't say it's fair, but most of what you said doesn't sound to me like anything unusual for prisons in Russia. There should be some human rights organizations but they have very little power over government institution, basically all they can do is to try to bring the problem to mass media or help you to file legal complaint. If you want to complain about situation with your husband's brother, you need to file a complaint to the prosecutor's office there, because in Russia government prosecutors are supposed to supervise and inspect prisons, and they actually have some real power over the situation. Doesn't mean it always helps because like I said in Russia prisons are never on the level of US prisons and if you will mention something like a mosquito problem, the whole prosecutor's office will laugh at you. Health problems can be a real reason to complain. Just FYI I've never been in prison myself but I've heard quite a bit about them back in Russia since we had a few prisons in my hometown.

- Victor from Russia

No, I do not have a misunderstanding. When I said that, "As an American Citizen", I did not mean I thought the laws are the same. But, rather, knowing how our laws are here in the US, I am saddened and angered to know that so many Countries, not only Russia, are that way, where everything seems to be stuck in "the stone age". I don't care about "being laughed at". I know what's right and what's wrong and I actually give a #######, so maybe at least trying may bring about some good result.