Press Release, 5.03.2026

Photo: Imprisoned journalist Nika Novak (left) and theatre director Yevgenia Berkovich (right) / Photo from Telegram channels

Anna Cherepanova, Deputy Chair of the Yabloko party and deputy of the Novgorod City Duma, is demanding that the rights of political prisoners Yevgenia Berkovich and Nika Novak be upheld. She has submitted formal parliamentary inquiries to the Human Rights Ombudsperson of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Moskalkova, as well as to the public prosecutor’s offices of Irkutsk (where Novak is held) and Kostroma (where Berkovich is held).

The inquiries were brought about by flagrant violations of the detention conditions of the two women, who are being persecuted on political grounds. Information about the abuse to which they are subjected became known from their letters, which were made public through the media.

In her inquiry, Anna Cherepanova draws attention to the situation of Yevgenia Berkovich, who is serving her sentence at Penal Colony No. 3 in the Kostroma region. Berkovich has complained of round-the-clock surveillance by video camera in her ward, as well as systematic humiliation: searches were conducted five days in a row, and the number of permitted telephone calls to relatives has been reduced to one per month. The colony administration has confiscated all of Berkovich’s personal notes and notebooks and has banned her from participating in amateur artistic activities.

“The prohibition on creative work, the denial of the ability to write poetry and prose, record events, experiences and thoughts on paper — in my view, these constitute a form of psychological torture,” Yabloko Deputy Chair Anna Cherepanova emphasises.

In addition to this psychological pressure, Berkovich faces harsh everyday conditions: she has reported that a shower serving 90 people is available for only 20 minutes per day, thus making even basic personal hygiene impossible.

The situation around journalist Nika Novak, held at Penal Colony No. 11 in the Irkutsk region, is no less grave. In February 2026, Novak refused food after being placed in a strict regime ward for three months. This was not her first act of protest: the previous year she had gone on hunger strike three times in response to harsh conditions, threats and violence from a fellow prisoner, as well as the administration’s refusal to pass on personal correspondence.

A letter received by the Yabloko party indicates that Nika Novak lives in constant fear for her life and health, and is asking that her personal safety be guaranteed.

Yabloko Deputy Chair Anna Cherepanova has noted that what is happening in the colonies violates both the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the norms of the Penal Enforcement Code:

“The tightening of Yevgenia Berkovich’s detention conditions, the strict regime and placement of Nika Novak in a strict regime ward, and the physical and psychological suffering endured by these convicted women cause me grave concern,” Cherepaniva stated. “Under the law, convicted persons have the right to be treated with respect by staff. They must not be subjected to cruel or degrading treatment or punishment. What we are confronting now is the practices of humiliation that must be stopped immediately.”

Anna Cherepanova is demanding that the responsible officials and supervisory bodies take every possible measure to protect the rights of the convicted women. She recalls that Article 21 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees the prohibition of torture, violence and other cruel treatment. Articles 10 and 82 of the Penal Enforcement Code, in turn, oblige colony administrations to ensure the legal protection and personal safety of convicted persons, as well as the lawfulness of any correctional measures applied.

It should also be noted that Anna Cherepanova has consistently championed the rights of political prisoners. She has previously spoken in defence of Maria Ponomarenko, Lyudmila Razumova, Igor Baryshnikov, Alexei Gorinov and others. Thanks to the her intervention, political prisoner Antonina Zimina was transferred to a different penal colony.

Yabloko will continue to monitor the situation insisting on the observance of human rights in places of deprivation of liberty. The party insists on the release of all political prisoners, the cessation of repression and a fundamental humanisation of the penal system, Anna Cherepanova writes.