Fellow prisoner enlisted to torture Iryna Danylovych in Russian penal colony – human rights defenders
Another prisoner is taking part in the psychological abuse of Iryna Danylovych, a Crimean citizen journalist and activist, at Penal Colony No. 7 in Zelenokumsk, in Russia’s Stavropol Krai, media outlet Krym.Realii reported, citing human rights defenders.
Iryna Danylovych. Photo from open sourcesHuman rights defenders say the prison authorities previously subjected Danylovych to constant bright lighting and loud noise. Olha Skrypnyk, head of the board of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG), says the prison administration has now allowed one inmate to use a radio receiver, despite a ban on radios in the colony, and she plays music at high volume.
“Ira sees this as a deliberate attempt to put pressure on her, a deliberate form of pressure”, Skrypnyk told Crimea.Realities.
Vladyslav Yesypenko, a former political prisoner, said that people held in Russian detention facilities may face both psychological abuse and denial of medical care.
ZMINA previously reported that Danylovych suffers from persistent headaches and ear pain, as well as problems with coordination. She had earlier suffered an acute ear infection and lost her hearing in one ear.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the US-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted her case to six UN Special Rapporteurs, calling for urgent action in response to her deteriorating health.
A month earlier, in May 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) gave Russia formal notice of two cases brought against it by Iryna Danylovych.
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