Crimean Tatar civilian journalist Remzi Bekirov, who is serving a sentence in prison No. 33 in Khakassia (Russia), reports health issues and facing pressure from guards and the prison administration, his whife Khalideh Bekirova told Crimean Solidarity after meeting her husband together with her children for the second time in six years.

Mrs. Bekirova said that Remzi had lost 30 kilograms and now weighed 78 kg due to malnutrition in the prison.

“My children and I were once again very surprised by how much weight Remzi has lost. We barely recognized him, and our friends and relatives could not recognize him when they saw the photos,” Khalideh Bekirova said.

She added that malnutrition is affecting both her husband's body weight and his health.

“Whenever he is sent to solitary confinement, the meal portion is reduced to less than half of its standard size. It is impossible to get enough nutrition with such portions. His diet lacks vitamins, minerals, they [prisoners] barely see any meat or dairy products. My husband says he does not even dream of fruits and vegetables. He also does not see sunlight. All this affects the state of his teeth, hair, and bones,” the journalist’s wife said.

Bekirov is also suffering from varicose veins, since he is forbidden from lying down on the bed while in solitary confinement, having to stand upright all day, and this negatively affects his veins.

The journalist also needs dental treatment due to tooth loss. The prison doctor only gives him paracetamol for toothache instead of treating it and only offers to remove the tooth, Remzi Bekirov says.

Crimean Tatar citizen journalist Remzi Bekirov has been repeatedly sentenced to solitary confinement for performing the five daily prayers in Abakan penal colony No. 33 (Russia).