RSF: Roshchina was denied medical care in a Russian penal colony before her death

Witnesses speaking on condition of anonymity said that on the morning of September 19, 2024, at Pretrial Detention Center No. 3 in the city of Kizel in Russia’s Perm Krai, Viktoria Roshchina did not get out of bed and lay motionless. The inmates with whom she shared a cell notified the guards. The guards arrived, evacuated the other inmates, and ordered the journalist to get up, but to no avail. Victoria was then taken away, allegedly still unconscious, but, as noted, it is now impossible to determine whether she was still alive.

On September 19, 2024, the day of her death, Victoria had already been in custody in Kizel for over a week, having been transferred there from the prison in Taganrog. A witness who was transported with her described Roshchina during the journey as a gaunt woman who could barely stand and had “yellowish” skin. Some inmates shared their food with her, but she refused to eat. “She said she wouldn’t eat as long as our guys were being tortured,” one of the witnesses said.

RSF was able to confirm that, despite the harsh conditions of the transport, Viktoria Roshchina did indeed arrive alive in Kizel, though she was already exhausted, could barely stand, and fainted from time to time. “Conditions in the prison were inhumane: the cells were overcrowded, damp, and cold. By mid-September, the temperature was already low. After more than 13 months in prison, Victoria was extremely weakened as a result of physical and psychological abuse,” witnesses said.

On September 18, 2024, the day before her death, “she was not feeling well,” another witness stated. According to reports, she asked a guard to bring her some tea, but he refused. Since Roshchina was feeling unwell, a member of the prison’s medical staff reportedly came to her cell and administered what was likely an injection. “They gave her something, probably to bring her to her senses,” a witness speculated.

The next day, the journalist died.