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Mariana Katzarova, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, has condemned the arrest of Kaliningrad lawyer Maria Boncler and demanded her release. This was reported on the website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“This is an extremely alarming case of judicial persecution and criminalisation of a lawyer for simply performing their professional duties. The arrest and prosecution of Maria Boncler are politically motivated and represent yet another example of the ongoing attacks on the independence of the legal profession in Russia,” said the Special Rapporteur.

Katzarova noted that on 20 May, just days before Boncler’s arrest, the European Union imposed sanctions on 28 Russian officials, including the judge in the case of Igor Baryshnikov, a resident of Kaliningrad, who was convicted over anti-war posts. Boncler represented him in court.

“This coincidence raises serious concerns that Boncler’s arrest may be an act of retaliation for her professional activities,” the Special Rapporteur said. She is demanding the immediate release of the lawyer and for all charges against her to be dropped.

Katzarova also described as inhumane and degrading the denial of medical care and the poor conditions in the pre-trial detention centre (SIZO), and demanded that Russian authorities immediately provide Boncler with the necessary medical assistance.

“Her case is an example of increasing repression of lawyers and human rights defenders in Russia. As of yesterday, law enforcement agencies in various regions across the country have been conducting raids and arrests of journalists and human rights activists. These attacks on civil society must stop,” the Special Rapporteur concluded.

On 28 May, security forces detained Boncler. The next day, she was sent to SIZO over allegations of confidential cooperation with a foreign state or foreign organisation (Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code). The Investigative Committee claims that in 2024, she passed information about law enforcement personnel from the Kaliningrad region, which she encountered in her legal work, to the security services of a “hostile state.”

In June, it became known that Boncler was facing pressure in SIZO-1 in Kaliningrad, a major city in the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. She was denied life-saving medicines and the right to receive them, her blood pressure was not monitored even though she suffered a hypertensive crisis, and she was refused vegetarian food.

“The other day, they just ‘forgot’ to bring her back inside after an hour-long walk in pretty chilly weather. And it happened just after it started pouring rain. Maria Vladimirovna then spent about another hour in the outdoor yard, drenched by the heavy rain. She begged to be let in, knocked, shouted, but nobody seemed to hear her <…> As a result: a severe cough with phlegm, hoarseness, and a suspected case of bronchitis,” said Boncler’s defence lawyer.

On 26 June, she suffered another hypertensive crisis. After this, she was provided with the necessary medications.

In addition, within a month in SIZO, Boncler received two reprimands: one for not keeping her hands behind her back while walking, and another for attempting to pass a statement to her lawyers.

You can support Boncler by sending her a letter through our “Vestochka” service.