The court refused to release 19-year-old Egor Balazeykin despite his serious liver disease.

A court in St Petersburg has rejected a request to release a teenager from punishment on medical grounds, reports the support group.

Judge Marina Rudenko referred to the conclusion of a medical commission.

The defence lawyer requested an additional examination, since the commission’s conclusion was based on data from 2022 and 2023. The judge refused the request.

“They performed an abdominal ultrasound and took some tests but have not carried out the main examination that would determine the presence of liver cirrhosis,” Balazeykin’s mother told Bumaga (Paper).

The teenager has been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, which have led to liver fibrosis. Without ongoing therapy, these conditions may lead to liver cirrhosis.

In February 2023, Balazeykin threw a Molotov cocktail at a military recruitment office as a protest against the invasion of Ukraine. He was charged with attempted terrorism and sentenced to six years in a penal colony.