Since autumn of 2021, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow considers the petition by Alexander Linnikov for release of the client of Linnikov & Partners, ex-Deputy Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) of Russia Oleg Korshunov from serving his sentence due to grave illness. Back in the summer of 2021, it was already known that Mr. Korshunov suffers from myasthenia gravis, a severe autoimmune disease that is included in the List of Diseases Non-compatible with Serving Prison Sentences. Korshunov’s defense reasonably counted on a swift positive ruling of the court.
However, despite the availability of medical records issued by specialist doctors of two independent reputable medical institutions that decisively uphold the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis and rapid deterioration of the state of Mr. Korshunov’s health, up to the present time, the court is unable to pass a ruling. The reason behind this is that only a specialized medical board of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia is authorized to formally confirm existence or absence of a disease. According to the defense, for an extensive period of time officials of the Federal Penitentiary Service deliberately sabotaged Mr. Korshunov’s referral for a medical examination and delayed the examination by all possible means, intentionally depriving the court of evidence necessary to make a decision.
In the end, on 13.01.2022, the medical commission of the Federal Penitentiary Service confirmed the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, concurrently stating that Korshunov “does not have the disease specified in paragraph 36 of the List of Diseases Non-compatible with Serving Prison Sentences approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 06.02.2004 No. 54 “On medical examination of convicts submitted for release from serving their sentence due to illness.” According to the aforementioned Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis (regardless of the stage and nature of the course of this disease) is an unconditional basis for release of a convicted person from serving a sentence. However, the medical board of the Federal Penitentiary Service, in defense’s opinion, cynically and unreasonably, declared an imaginary improvement in Oleg Mr. Korshunov’s condition, thus justifying its obviously illegal and outrageous conclusion.
The objectivity of the board’s conclusions is particularly doubtful in light of the fact that it was presided by one Alexander Kravchenko, Head of the Matrosskaya Tishina Pre-trial Detention Center Hospital, who was arrested on 19.01.2022 on charges of corruption. According to recent press reports, the Main Investigative Department for the City of Moscow of the Investigative Committee of Russia has presented Kravchenko with charges of bribery and abuse of power. It is likely that Kravchenko could influence the board’s decision regarding Mr. Korshunov and might have contributed to the passing of a resolution, containing mutually exclusive provisions.
Next court hearing on Mr. Linnikov’s petition for release of Oleg Korshunov will be held on 24.01.2022. Defense attorneys sincerely hope for an objective and unbiased review by the court of evidence, which beyond all doubt proves that Mr. Korshunov is unable to continue serving his sentence and needs specialized medical care, not available in penitentiary institutions.
You can read comments of Alexander Linnikov on the case of Oleg Korshunov at the links:
