Russian human rights defenders propose European Parliament swaps legislator Gorinov imprisoned for his anti-war stance for Russians detained in Europe for espionage
“His chronic bronchitis has exacerbated. In 2016, he underwent a surgery and now has only one lung. We’re afraid that he won’t come out of jail alive,” the letter states.
“There’s definitely potential for a swap. The precedent exists, too — Griner was swapped for Bout recently.
“In this letter we are, of course, highlighting Alexey’s case. But if the first exchange takes place, then we can consider a second and a third one,” Ponomaryov added.
In January, 34 members of the European Parliament wrote a letter in support of Gorinov.
“You are not forgotten and you are not alone in your righteous fight to free the people of Russia and the rest of the continent from the terrors of war. Your vigour encourages us to unite and continue amplifying your voice until the children of Ukraine are safe and Russia is free and peaceful,” the letter read.
In July 2022, Gorinov was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment; later on, the Moscow City Court reduced his sentence by one month. According to the prosecution, Gorinov and head of Moscow’s Krasnoselsky municipal district Elena Kotenochkina allowed themselves to make a series of remarks “containing incorrect information about Russia’s Armed Forces” during a hearing of the local deputy council on 15 March.
Gorinov referred to the “special military operation” as “war” and talked about deaths of Ukrainian children. The state prosecution thinks that these remarks contradict the official information released by Russia’s Defence Ministry.
