Arseniy Turbin, a 16-year-old Russian schoolboy and the country’s youngest political prisoner, has reported being beaten by a cellmate in the Moscow detention center where he is being held, according to Mediazona.
Turbin is serving five years in a juvenile correctional facility for allegedly attempting to join the anti-Kremlin Freedom of Russia Legion. He wrote to his mother detailing the abuse.
In an October 1 letter, Turbin described the abusive behavior of a cellmate named Azizbek, writing that the atmosphere in the cell had become "heavy" and "critical."
“Tonight after 18:00, he hit me on the head with his fist on the bed two times," Turbin wrote. "The night will be very hard. But I will hold on."
Turbin’s mother also revealed that her son had been placed in solitary confinement for a week in September following a conflict with his cellmates.
Charges of Terrorism
Turbin, who was only 15 when sentenced, was accused of attempting to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a paramilitary group composed of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine.
The group has been labeled a terrorist organization by Moscow.
He was charged with “participating in terrorist activities” and sentenced to five years in a juvenile colony.
Human rights groups have raised concerns about the handling of Turbin's case.
According to Mediazona, investigators from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) falsified evidence to support their accusations.
Despite their claims that Turbin admitted to planning to join the legion during an interrogation, transcripts published by Mediazona show that he made no such confession, despite the FSB’s attempts to pressure him.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Memorial has declared Turbin a political prisoner, and Russia’s financial watchdog has added his name to its list of "terrorists and extremists."
