Report on Human Rights Violations in the Republic of Altay
July 2026
Pressure on a political prisoner in the Gorno-Altaysk pre-trial detention centre
During the first week of July several disciplinary penalties were imposed on the political prisoner Georgy Paramoshin in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 of Gorno-Altaysk.
The author of the Telegram channel “NATDEM” had earlier been convicted of “extremism” and sentenced to 8 years in a colony.
The head of the pre-trial detention centre told the prisoner that “we know how to deal with such people,” after which Georgy was placed on the register as “prone to escape and to attack staff.” He was also deprived of the possibility of long-term visits.
The pressure being exerted on the political prisoner was reported by Georgy’s lawyer Natalia Tikhonova.
Georgy warned: “If I disappear, do not worry — most likely I am in the punishment cell (SHIZO).”
Absurd accusations against Vasily Kudirmekov
The prosecutor’s office is attempting to charge Vasily Kudirmekov — the head of the Altay clan of Irkit and at the same time the head of the movement “Kurultai of the Altay People” — under Article 20.33 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation “participation in an undesirable organisation.” However, the court has so far returned the protocol to the prosecutor’s office because the procedural norms on notification of the suspect were not observed. At the same time, what exactly the prosecutor’s office meant and as a result of participation in which organisation they are attempting to charge Vasily remains unknown. We can only hope that it is not the Irkit clan.
Sergey Kukhtuyekov as a candidate for deputy
Sergey Kukhtuyekov, a political opponent of the current head of Altay Andrey Turchak, has finally been registered as a candidate in the elections to the State Duma from the “Yabloko” party. Two years ago Sergey was not given the opportunity to register as a candidate for the post of head of the Republic of Altay, nor as a candidate for deputy of the El Kurultai (parliament) of the Republic of Altay. The election commission recognised as valid exactly one signature fewer than Sergey Kukhtuyekov needed for registration. For example, the staff of the election commission called the data from a copy of the passport of one of the people who supported Sergey (in the photo below) unreadable because of a tail on the digit zero. This is an obvious deliberate violation of the political rights of the candidate and his voters.
https://semnasem.org/news/2026/07/30/eks-konkurent-turchaka-za-post-glavy-altaya-zaregistrirovalsya-kandidatom-v-gosdumu-ot-yabloka
https://t.me/horizontal_russia/38864