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The Supreme Court of Mordovia has overturned the decision to transfer 70-year-old human rights defender Sergey Maryin from a colony-settlement to a general regime penal colony.

The reasons for the court’s decision are not yet known. Only the operative part was announced at the hearing.

It was Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) staff who requested the tightening of the regime. In February, the Zubovo-Polyansky District Court approved their request.

Maryin is now in Colony-Settlement No. 14 in the Mordovian village of Partsa. There, he received five disciplinary actions, after which he was labelled a persistent violator.

First, Maryin was reprimanded twice because his personal items did not match the inventory. On the same grounds, he was then placed in a punishment cell (SHIZO) for three days. The fourth disciplinary action was for not getting up when ordered—this led to a further 14 days in a punishment cell. After that, he received a reprimand for writing on a bed frame.

Maryin said that before the hearing on the request, razor blades were also planted on him.

  • In March 2025, the human rights defender was sentenced to one year in a colony-settlement for repeat “discrediting” of the army (Part 1, Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code). The grounds for the criminal case were a picket, a post and a comment from 24 February 2024. All were dedicated to the anniversary of the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and to the death of politician Alexei Navalny.
  • Maryin defended prisoners’ rights in Mordovia for around 20 years. He visited them in prison colonies and represented their interests in court disputes against FSIN officials. OVD-Info has reported on his human rights work and persecution for his anti-war stance, which involved a police informant.