On the website of "OVD-Info" there is an article telling about the letter of the Altai journalist Maria Ponomarenko. As you know, on February 15 of this year, the Leninsky District Court of Barnaul sentenced Maria to six years in prison in the case of "fakes" about the Russian army (paragraph "d" of part 2 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The reason for the criminal case was the posting in March 2022 by Maria in the telegram channel "There is no Censorship" of information about an air strike on a drama theater in Mariupol.

The verdict has not yet entered into force, as it is being appealed by Maria's defense. It is not clear on what basis on March 17, Maria was transferred from the pre-trial detention center No. 1 (pre-trial detention center-1) in Barnaul to the pre-trial detention center-2 in Biysk. When Maria was taken to the pre-trial detention center-2, she was searched, some of the products were seized and demanded to undress. I can assume that Maria had a fit of hysteria after that. The staff of the pre-trial detention center called a psychiatric team. According to Maria, the medical workers who arrived used physical force against her: "They were beaten on the back, chest, stomach, head, thrown against steps, etc." In the hospital, force was also used against her: "In the first day, for not finishing the cocoa in time, the orderly Maxim hit on the cheeks, in the stomach and chest." On March 20, Maria was transferred from the hospital to the pre-trial detention center-2.

The Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) of the Altai Territory could sort out the situation and protect Maria, but judging by its composition, I can assume that they will not do this. There is little hope for help from the prosecutor's office, the investigative committee of the regional Ombudsman Boris Larin. By the way, all the above-mentioned structures, including the ONC, have quite enough powers, but, in my opinion, there are big problems with the desire.

 There is still hope for the media, social networks and public response.

When I was chairman of the ONC of the Altai Territory of the I – III convocation, my colleagues and I managed to repeatedly protect the rights of convicts. Reports on our work can be found here.

 According to OVD-info, 492 people became involved in criminal cases for anti-war speeches. In the Altai Territory, according to media reports, with reference to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Altai Territory Andrey Podolyan, nine criminal cases were initiated in 2022 for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces

Alexander Goncharenko, doctor, human rights activist, Chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of the Altai Territory of the I – III convocation