The mother of Arseny Turbin, a 17-year-old convicted in a case on participation in a terrorist organization, says he was again placed in a punishment cell before a hearing of the Russian Supreme Court’s cassation instance on March 5, 2026. According to Irina Turbina, he was transferred from the juvenile colony in Gamovo to a remand prison in Perm two days before the hearing and appeared by video link wearing outdoor clothes and coughing.
She said prison officials cited poor cleaning of his solitary cell and a burnt match found under the bed as the reason for the punishment cell. Irina Turbina says her son told her the match was not his. She also said a parcel sent to him was withheld and that he had not been seen by a doctor, although minors are supposed to receive daily medical checks.
Turbin was convicted in June 2024 under Article 205.5 Part 2 of Russia’s Criminal Code and sentenced to five years in a juvenile colony. According to his mother and lawyers, there was no proof that he had participated in the organization’s activities, and the case was based on reposts of opposition materials and the distribution of leaflets.
Now, after serving two and a half years, he faces a new accusation. Irina Turbina says that after a riot on January 7, 2026 in the colony in Gamovo, allegedly started by adult inmates, Arseny was first described as a witness, but later other teenagers gave statements against him.
Officially, the article notes, citing Mediazona, the prison service did not report any mass unrest at the Gamovo juvenile colony. Even so, Turbina says her son was transferred to a remand prison in late February and could now face three to eight more years on charges linked to the unrest. She believes the pressure is connected to the authorities viewing him as a politically dangerous teenager.