Samara-based saxophonist Andrei Shabanov has been refused a repeat medical examination.

Samara-based saxophonist Andrei Shabanov, who has been sentenced to six years because of an anti-war social media post, has been refused a repeat medical examination. This was reported by the political prisoner’s support group.

According to Shabanov’s lawyer, the refusal is due to bureaucratic inaccuracies in the documents, and a new application has already been submitted.

The musician has a severe form of psoriasis, has been assigned second-degree disability status, and has repeatedly complained about torturous and medically inappropriate conditions of detention. Lately, his immune system has weakened due to interruptions in his joint medication, as there is no opportunity to consult a doctor in custody. An appeal against Shabanov’s sentence was filed five months ago, but there has been no information about when it might be considered.

The saxophonist was detained and placed under administrative arrest in March 2024. In early April, he was sent to remand prison (SIZO) in a case concerning calls to terrorism, after he made a Facebook post urging people to fund the Ukrainian Armed Forces, carry out sabotage, and join the “Russian Volunteer Corps” and the “Freedom of Russia” legion.

In February, Shabanov was convicted under articles on online terrorism propaganda (part 2 of article 205.2 of the Criminal Code) and publicly calling for activities against state security (subparagraph “v,” part 2, article 280.4 of the Criminal Code). He was sentenced to six years in a penal colony.

The political prisoner suffers from severe psoriasis and psoriatic ankylosing spondyloarthritis, a condition affecting the spine. For several months in Samara’s SIZO-1 remand centre, he received no medical assistance. In addition, he was not permitted to receive medicines. Following the public response to Shabanov’s statement that he was “rotting alive,” he began to receive some medical care. However, doctors did not prescribe treatment as such, also stating that he had no illnesses preventing him from being kept in custody.

13 August Andrei Shabanov was banned from sending and receiving letters. This was reported by his support group, quoting the convicted man’s mother.

Shabanov suspects that the administration of Samara’s SIZO-1 banned correspondence because “the censors might not have liked the content of his letters.” The support group plans to confirm this information with the lawyer.

14 August Samara’s SIZO-1 refused to allow Shabanov to receive vital medicines. This was reported by Novaya Gazeta, citing the prisoner’s mother.

“Today they did not accept the medicines from me. This is the first time! Previously, they always took them. But now there are new rules. And the head [of the SIZO] crossed out the necessary medicines from my application. It’s pure sabotage! They didn’t even take a plaster,” the outlet quoted Shabanov’s mother as saying.

She noted that everyone at the remand centre is aware of her son’s serious condition. Shabanov has also recently come down with a respiratory illness and a rotavirus infection.