![]() Svetlana Davydova, from Vyazma in Smolensk region, has been held in custody by the FSB at Lefortovo pre-trial detention facility since late January under investigation on charges of treason. Allegedly last April Davydova telephoned the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow and told them that troops from a military base near her home had been sent to another location, which she suspected was Ukraine. As of 1 February, more than 22,000 people have signed a petition published by Novaya gazeta, calling for her release. Davydova is a mother of seven, the youngest of which she is breast-feeding. She has been separated from her children in Lefortovo. The Moscow Times: "A Smolensk woman faces charges of high treason after she phoned Ukrainian diplomats to warn them that Russian troops may be en route to their country, newspaper Kommersant reported Thursday. The woman, identified in the report as a mother of seven named Svetlana Davydova, is currently being held in Moscow's Lefortovo pre-trial detention facility after a court issued an arrest warrant last week, according to the report. The alleged crime occurred last April, when Davydova contacted the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow and told them that a military base near her home had been virtually emptied after the troops were sent somewhere, her husband, Anatoly Gorlov, was cited as saying by Kommersant." - Source: Allison Quinn, 'Russian Mom Faces Treason Charges for Call to Ukrainian Embassy', The Moscow Times, 29 January 2015 - Source: 'Thousands Sign Petition To Help Russian 'Treason' Suspect', RFE/RL, 1 February 2015 Photo: HRO.org Each week Rights in Russia highlights the activities of a human rights defender, civil rights activist, victim of alleged human rights abuses, or alleged perpetrator of such abuses |
Person of the Week >