Dissidents vanish from Russian penal colonies amid exchange fears
Recently, numerous dissidents or individuals imprisoned for criticising the authorities have "disappeared" from Russian penal colonies, Reuters reports. Human rights defenders speculate that this phenomenon may be linked to a possible prisoner exchange with the West.
As previously reported by the Russian independent outlet Meduza, in recent days, six political prisoners, including human rights defender Oleg Orlov and oppositionist Ilya Yashin, were transported from colonies and detention centres to unknown locations. Their lawyers and relatives remain uninformed about their whereabouts.
Disappearances a prelude to a prisoner exchange?
On Wednesday, Olga Karlova, the lawyer for American Paul Whelan, who was convicted in Russia for alleged espionage, informed Reuters that she is unable to confirm the former Marine's location.
All this leads human rights activists to suspect that the disappearance of at least six politically motivated prisoners could be a precursor to a larger-scale prisoner exchange planned by the Russian authorities. When questioned about this situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment.
