12-13 March 2025
by Vera Vasilieva
Source: Facebook
12 March 2025
A lawyer’s trip to see Aleksandr Markin
Yesterday, on 11 March, lawyer Nail Salkaev went to visit Aleksandr Markin, convicted on fabricated charges, in Penal Colony No. 1 in Mordovia (Sosnovka). As he ascertained, a package put together thanks to the financial assistance of caring people back on 3 February was never delivered to Markin by penal colony staff – neither the warm clothes nor other basic necessities, nor food (with the exception of a small amount of sausage).
The same thing happened last time – then the Federal Penitentiary Service for Mordovia replied to my letter of protest, saying that supposedly all these things were immediately returned to the person who had sent the package, since they were forbidden. This is not in keeping with reality (nothing was returned or specified as forbidden). They did not respond to my second letter of protest, which followed, at all. In particular, due to the actions of these colony staff, for a second year Aleksandr Markin has not been able to receive the warm socks that are sent to him. They do it cunningly: before my eyes, during our meeting, they presented him with a package, showed him and compelled him to sign a form stating that he had received it. But one must write in this case that he simply looked at or saw the parcel (from the outside). Now they will say again that it was all handed over to him. But this is not so.
It is worth remembering that Aleksandr is serving his sentence in a section of a special regime penal colony, and he is allowed a package once a year. According to information, the source of which I cannot name, this also happens to other convicts there.
Aleksandr sends greetings to all concerned and great thanks for their moral and material support.
Source: Facebook
13 March 2025
After a long time with no news, I received a letter from Aleksei Pichugin, written at the end of last year.
“My congratulations to Lika Kerenskaya, Zoe Svetova, Verochka Ch. and Ulrika and her beautiful family. I am touched by the warm, sincere, kind letters and photographs. May God grant you all good health and peace, love, faith and hope for many, many good summers! The letters gave me very happy and good feelings … Sincerely, heartily grateful to all. I bow down to Liudmila Aleksandrovna Goodman and to all who help Aleksandr Markin. My deepest and most sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of you. I believe in the very best! And I so look forward to meeting you in freedom!!! I pray for this and for all of you tirelessly… God save you!”
Source: Facebook
Translated by Alyssa Rider
