In Russia the number of political prisoners rises

2021-10-27T17:49:05.459Z

According to estimates by the Memorial Center for Human Rights, in the last year the number of political detainees in Russia has risen from 362 to 420 people, and is comparable to that in the Soviet Union, before the release of the political prisoners by order of Mikhail Gorbachev. Among the detainees, 360 are imprisoned for religious reasons and another 80 for purely political reasons. The data was released on the eve of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression which has been commemorated on October 30 in Russia since 1990. However, Memorial points out, the real number of political prisoners and other people imprisoned for political reasons is undoubtedly significantly higher. The biggest increase is due to the convictions of the followers of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a 'pan-Islamic and fundamentalist international political organization, whose goal is to re-establish an Islamic caliphate that unites the entire Muslim community and implements the shari'a, and of Jehovah's Witnesses.