Ukraine: Human rights defender Elena Berezhnaya suffers stroke in сustody

Antifashist.com says that "it is imperative not only to insist on her immediate inclusion in prisoner exchange negotiations, but also to ensure that she receives urgent medical treatment in accordance with internationally recognized minimum standards."

Amid ongoing political repression in Ukraine, it has been confirmed that human rights defender Elena Berezhnaya has suffered a stroke while serving a 14-year prison sentence on charges of "high treason." The website Antifashist.com reports that according to her lawyer, Berezhnaya is in critical condition in a prison hospital under heavy guard. No one — neither her relatives nor independent human rights monitors — is being allowed to visit her.

Her lawyer, who was granted rare permission to meet with her, reported that Berezhnaya is currently in the stroke ward, connected to monitoring equipment and receiving intravenous medications. She is unable to stand, has facial asymmetry, and her speech is impaired — all classic symptoms of a severe stroke. Doctors have described her condition as grave.

Antifashist.com says that "this development comes as no surprise. Since her arrest in March 2022, Berezhnaya has been held in conditions repeatedly described by human rights organizations as life-threatening. Her health has deteriorated steadily while Ukrainian authorities have ignored all warnings and appeals.

In December 2024, a Kyiv court sentenced her to 14 years in prison with confiscation of property. In March 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled her arrest unlawful and ordered Ukraine to pay €2,500 in moral damages. Ukraine has ignored the ruling, neither issuing the payment nor taking steps to improve her detention conditions.

To this day, independent medical experts and international observers are still denied access to her. Food and essential supplies can only be delivered through the detention center, and even then only with administrative approval. While Berezhnaya's name has long been included in prisoner exchange proposals, Ukrainian officials, according to our information, routinely strike her from the lists — often demanding an exchange for individuals convicted in Russia of terrorism and sabotage, sentenced to 15–20 years.

Elena Berezhnaya’s current condition is not merely a humanitarian concern — it is a direct challenge to international institutions that claim to uphold human rights as a core value. Her stroke makes continued detention no longer justifiable under any circumstances, as it poses a clear threat to her life.

In light of these facts, it is imperative not only to insist on her immediate inclusion in prisoner exchange negotiations, but also to ensure that she receives urgent medical treatment in accordance with internationally recognized minimum standards."