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The Supreme Court of Mordovia has overturned the decision to transfer 70-year-old human rights defender Sergei Maryin from an open prison to a general regime colony. His lawyer, Andrei Kuryatnikov, told OVD-Info about the decision.

The court’s reasoning behind this decision is not yet known. During the hearing, only the operative part of the ruling was announced.

It was the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) staff who requested the tightening of the prison regime. In February, the Zubovo-Polyansky District Court granted the application.

Maryin is currently being held in open prison No. 14 in the village of Partsa, in Mordovia. There, he received five disciplinary sanctions, after which he was designated a persistent violator.

First, Maryin received two reprimands for discrepancies between his personal belongings and their official inventory. Then, on the same grounds, he was sent to a punishment cell (SHIZO) for three days. The fourth sanction was for failing to get up when ordered during morning wake-up—this led to an additional 14 days in the punishment cell. Later, he was reprimanded for a writing on his bed.

Maryin said that before the application was considered, razor blades were also planted on him.

  • In March 2025, the human rights defender was sentenced to one year in an open prison, accused of repeat “discrediting” of the army (Article 280.3(1) of the Criminal Code). The criminal case was triggered by a protest, a social media post and a comment on 24 February 2024, all dedicated to the anniversary of the start of the invasion of Ukraine and the death of politician Alexei Navalny.
  • Maryin spent around 20 years defending the rights of inmates in Mordovia—a region east of Moscow. He visited them in prison colonies and represented their interests in court battles with FSIN officials. OVD-Info has reported on his human rights work and the persecution he faced due to his anti-war stance, which involved a police informant.