They threatened to smash my head against the wall." A Buryatia student convicted in a treason case has gone on hunger strike over abuse in prison

"They threatened to smash my head against the wall." A Buryatia student convicted in a treason case has gone on hunger strike over abuse in prison

23-year-old Alexey Badmayev has gone on a hunger strike in the Verkhneuralsk prison. He has been on it since April 8.

According to the student, in the prison inmates are beaten, and their photographs and letters from loved ones, as well as warm clothing, are taken away from them. He himself has not been taken out for a walk even once.

Prisoners are also not given food bought at the prison store until it spoils.

"The staff have gotten completely brazen: yesterday they kicked me in the legs and threatened to smash my head against the wall if I didn't stop showing off. They took everything from me: my only long underwear, my T-shirt, my turtleneck thermal layer. They laugh, mock us, insult us, and curse at us. They are sure they will get away with it,” he told his parents.

After several days of the hunger strike, the convicted man reported that he had grown weak: "I have no strength left, even while I write this my hand gets tired."

On April 27, Badmayev was placed in a punishment cell for 15 days. He had already been sent to a punishment cell in November 2025. That was how the administration disrupted his long visit with his parents.

The case of Alexey Badmayev

In January 2025, the student was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony on charges of treason, justifying terrorism, and attempted financing of an illegal armed formation.

Badmayev was accused of treason because he sent 500 rubles to the author of the YouTube channel "Byt ili" (some sources claim that its author is originally from Ukraine).

The charge of attempted financing of an illegal armed formation was brought because of an attempt to transfer 35,727 rubles from his card to the RDK. The bank blocked the transfer.

Badmayev was accused of justifying terrorism because of comments on VKontakte about the Freedom of Russia Legion.

The student's testimony said that he opposes the invasion of Ukraine.

Last spring, the appellate court toughened his sentence, increasing it to 14 years in prison. Badmayev's relatives and his defense team were "shocked by the court's decision" to double the sentence.

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Alexey Badmayev / Photo: social media