The UN criticizes the five-year prison sentence of a Russian doctor for comments against the war in Ukraine

MADRID 16 Nov. () –

The United Nations Rapporteur for Human Rights in Russia, Mariana Katzarova, has “strongly” condemned the imprisonment of a doctor in Moscow, sentenced to five and a half years in prison after the mother of one of her patients filed a complaint against her for comments made about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has demanded her release.

“It is appalling to condemn a doctor for an unproven private comment in the exercise of his professional duties,” Katzarova stated, denouncing that the case is an example “of Russia’s systematic suppression of dissident voices.”

The doctor, who worked as a pediatrician, identified as Nadezhda Buyanova, faced a six-year prison sentence, as requested by the Prosecutor’s Office, which accused her of publishing “false information” about the Russian Armed Forces, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

Buyanova was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for making anti-war comments regarding Russian troops fighting in Ukraine during a private medical consultation.

The case originated, according to the UN, when the wife of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine filed a complaint alleging that Buyanova made derogatory statements about her late husband during her son’s medical appointment.

“This rushed trial, based primarily on the testimony of a seven-year-old boy, is another example of sham trials in Russia, which target individuals simply for their anti-war stance,” Katzarova said.

The case has sparked widespread protests within the Russian medical community, with more than 1,000 doctors signing an open letter advocating for the doctor’s release.

“The Buyova case is another emblematic case in Russia aimed at muzzling critics of the war and instilling fear among the Russian people,” Katzarova concluded.

For this reason, he has requested her “immediate” release: “And all charges against her must be dropped. Laws that repress freedom of expression, such as war censorship laws, must be urgently repealed.”

Dozens of people have been convicted in recent months on charges related to spreading “false information” about the invasion of Ukraine, which Russia describes as a “special military operation,” prompting much of the international community to report these cases as an attempt to silence criticism.