Following his arrested on Friday, Pussy Riot member and Mediazona publisher Peter Verzilov is reportedly in critical condition, according to press release sent out this afternoon. The press releases suggests that the symptoms he’s experiencing indicate that he could possibly have been poisoned. Verzilov had recently been released from jail after being arrested in connection with the group’s protests at the Russia-hosted World Cup earlier this year.
He was hospitalized late September 11 and his partner Veronika Nikulshina has told the Medusa Project that he’s started losing his sight, then his speech and then his mobility. He’s being treated at the toxicology wing of the Bakhrushin City Clinical Hospital in Moscow, further suggesting he was poisoned.
The press release explains what Verzilov has experienced over the last 48 hours. He attended his court hearing on Tuesday and felt unwell shortly after. At 6 pm local time, he laid down to rest. Two hours later we woke up complaining of vision issues. “Between eight and ten, his condition got exponentially worse,” said Nikulshina. “First it was his vision, then his ability to speak, and then his ability to walk.”
“On the way [to the hospital], in the ambulance, he was already babbling. […],” she said. “He fell into such a half-asleep, half-unconscious state that he stopped responding to me and didn’t even recognize me anymore.”
According to the Medusa article, his mother tried to visit him at the hospital that night, but wasn’t allowed by hospital staff to see her son and that they wouldn’t even describe his condition. The staff members explained that the reason she couldn’t be admitted was that the patient had to sign the form himself. He was unconscious.
Nikulshina also had trouble visiting or getting much information about her partner and whether or not he was poisoned. She has a common-law marriage with Verzilov but according to staff, that status didn’t entitle her to any rights. “The doctor only said that his condition was serious, but his behavior was improving and he’d started responding to his own name,” she said to Medusa.
UPDATE (9/18): Pussy Riot has offered an update on Verzilov. In a press release that recaps a press conference given by German doctors Prof. Dr. Karl Max Einhäupl (CEO) and Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt. Their medical conclusion: Verzilov had in fact been poisoned in Moscow. His family and friends were able to get him moved to a Germany hospital where the doctors are not under the influence of the Russian government.
The first statement in the press release is from Nadya Tolokonnikova, who adds color to the state Verzilov is currently in. While it paints a dark picture, it appears to be very hopeful of the artist’s ability to make a full recovery. “We wish we could get a comment from Peter about his poisoning, but we cannot since he’s still disoriented and not fully with us as the Peter we know. He’s dizzy and confused, he cannot remember where he is right now…he does not understand that he’s in Germany, that he’s in a hospital and there are doctors around him, not prison wardens.”
According to doctors, he is suffering from amnesia, but luckily it’s reversible. “Peter’s thoughts are jumping from one subject to another quickly, which does not allow him to be fully present,” she added. “And if you ask Peter why do you think you were poisoned, he most likely will tell you about the recent arrest of Igor Sechin, whether there is mobile connection in Arctic or not, about Marina Abramović and Ulay’s performances and his postmodernist phantasies. It may be scary, but most of the time Peter still has his unique sense of humor. When he saw me and Nika Nikulshina yesterday, he said ‘So good to see you without handcuffs.'”
Both the German physicians and the previously treating Russian doctors agreed that Verzilov was poisoned, likely by a anticholinergic drugs. These drugs don’t last long in the blood or urine, making them difficult to trace or identify, plus they often lead to amnesia so the victim cannot identify the assailant. The press release concludes by stating how much better off Verzilov is in Germany than Russia, where he was tied to his bed to prevent panic attacks, was treated by doctors who were likely servile to the Russian government, and he’s free to be with family and friends 24 hours a day.
Photo Credit: Brett Padelford
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