A riddle about modern Russia: What do serial killer Alexander Pichushkin, who murdered 49 people, and world-renowned mathematician Azat Miftakhov have in common?
They are imprisoned in the same facility in Russia.
Azat Miftakhov was serving a politically motivated sentence and was due to be released in 2023. Instead, he was immediately re-arrested on new fabricated charges and transferred to the notorious “Polar Owl” (Kharp) prison.
It is one of Russia’s harshest prisons, where life-sentenced prisoners and especially dangerous inmates are held.
It is the same prison where Alexei Navalny was murdered.
Miftakhov has reported being subjected to severe torture starting the day after his arrival.
After he refused to clean a toilet for other inmates, he was taken to an office where he was beaten on the soles of his feet with a wooden hammer and electrocuted. He was also threatened with sexual violence.
Azat Miftakhov is an outstanding mathematician who continues to solve complex mathematical problems even from behind bars. Leading universities around the world have offered him teaching positions. More than 300 mathematicians have signed a petition calling for his release.
Yet in Russia, exceptional talent is not valued, and instead, a brilliant mind is sent beyond the Arctic Circle to rot among murderers and subjected to torture.