World News | Russian Pianist Dies in Jail After Criticising Moscow's Action in Ukraine
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. A Russian piano player has died in jail while awaiting trial on charges linked to his criticism of Moscow's military action in Ukraine, news reports said on Tuesday.
Moscow, Aug 6 (AP) A Russian piano player has died in jail while awaiting trial on charges linked to his criticism of Moscow's military action in Ukraine, news reports said on Tuesday.
Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet, reported that pianist Pavel Kushnir died on July 28 in a jail in Birobidzhan, a city in fareastern Russia near the border with China. He was 39.
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It quoted his mother, Irina Levina, as saying that an investigator told her that Kushnir died while being on a hunger strike. Russian authorities haven't issued any statements on Kushnir's death.
Kushnir was in custody after his arrest in May on charges related to his criticism of the Kremlin and its action in Ukraine on his YouTube channel.
After graduating from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Kushnir performed as a soloist at philharmonics in Kursk and Kurgan before joining Birobidzhan's philharmonic last year.
The Kremlin's crackdown against opposition activists, independent journalists and government critics has intensified since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Hundreds have faced criminal charges over protests and remarks condemning Moscow's action in Ukraine, and thousands have been fined or briefly jailed. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)