It reminds of Stalinist gulags.
From the WSJ's article (link here):
She provided no further details, saying a release would be issued later. Sergei Magnitsky and his colleagues had accused authorities of denying him necessary medical treatment in prison.Russia is a 7...
Mr. Magnitsky, a 37-year-old partner at Moscow firm Firestone Duncan, was jailed nearly a year ago on charges of tax evasion related to his work for Hermitage. At a court hearing on extending his detention in September, he complained that he had been denied medical treatment for weeks for serious stomach pancreatic illnesses that he hadn't suffered from before his imprisonment. He also complained of inhumane conditions -- including the absence of toilet, hot water and windows -- at the Butyrskaya jail where he was then being held.
"They held him for 11 months, asking him to fabricate testimony against Hermitage," said Jamison Firestone, managing partner of Firestone Duncan. "The more he refused, the worse his conditions became."
