OVD-Info
Russia · OVD-Info
01Overview
Quick Facts
CountryRussia
Age / Sexmale
Occupationformer coordinator of Gulagu.net, human rights defender
Arrested inEngels, Saratov region
Held atSIZO-1 Saratov
CategoryActivism
StatusDetained
Russia · context
1,473documented cases
442 urgent · 102 report torture
Most common grounds
Journalism
131
Cultural
1
Unknown
2
Ethnic
33
Medical
Health Concerns Identified.
Swallowed metal objects, needs surgery
Diplomatic
International Attention documented.
Identified by international monitoring bodies and diplomatic missions as a priority concern.
Content advisory.This case includes reports of torture or ill-treatment. The descriptions may be distressing.
Reports of Torture or Ill-treatment.
Reported to have been subjected to physical abuse or severe ill-treatment in detention, according to available sources. Such treatment, where established, violates international law.
Case Summary
Boris Ushakov, a former coordinator of Gulagu.net and human rights defender, was arrested on charges of insulting and threatening a police officer. He protested his detention by swallowing metal objects and declaring a hunger strike.
Key Facts
04 entries- 01Former coordinator of Gulagu.net
- 02Accused of insulting and threatening a police officer
- 03Swallowed metal objects in protest
- 04Declared a hunger strike
May contain extraction or translation errors.
Native-Language SummaryRU • Original
30 декабря 2025 года Энгельсский районный суд Саратовской области заключил под стражу бывшего координатора «Гулагу.нет» Бориса Ушакова, следует из решения на сайте суда.
Правозащитника арестовали по делу об оскорблении представителя власти (ст. 319 УК) и угрозе применения к нему же насилия (ч. 1 ст. 318 УК). По версии следствия, вечером 26 августа 2025 года Ушаков на остановке встретил участкового по фамилии Чертихин и во время разговора стал оскорблять его и угрожать.
Дело возбудили еще в октябре, но тогда с правозащитника взяли только подписку о невыезде и надлежащем поведении. В декабре следователь попросил ужесточить меру пресечения, обвинив Ушакова в затягивании процесса ознакомления с материалами дела и нарушении подписки. По словам следователя, правозащитник не жил по месту регистрации, не отвечал на звонки, срывал следственные действия, «в том числе методами собственного членовредительства», и отказывался подписывать процессуальные документы.
Сейчас правозащитник находится в саратовском СИЗО-1. Недавно его знакомый рассказал, что 19 января Ушаков объявил голодовку. Так, по словам знакомого, правозащитник протестовал против порчи и подмены продуктов и средств гигиены, которые ему покупала сестра, на более дешевые и некачественные. Кроме того, Ушаков проглотил несколько металлических предметов, в том числе скрепку — в знак протеста против того, что его возили на ознакомление с материалами дела без адвоката. После этого ему дали трое суток карцера.
Знакомый Ушакова опубликовал выписку из отделения лучевой диагностики энгельсской больницы № 1 по итогам рентгена. Там указано, что на снимке брюшной полости видно как минимум пять инородных тел: одно из них, предположительно, наконечник от шариковой ручки, второе — скрепка.
Сестра Ушакова рассказала ОВД-Инфо, что он уже прекратил голодовку. По ее словам, правозащитнику нужна операция, чтобы из кишечника удалили скрепку.
Осенью 2024 года Ушаков рассказал, что против него возбудили дело об оскорблении представителя власти (ст. 319 УК). Тогда его обвинили в оскорблении сотрудника уфимской ИК-9. До этого Ушаков на своем ютуб-канале рассказывал о применении насилия к осужденным в этой колонии. В том числе он сам приезжал в ИК-9, чтобы подать заявление о преступлении.
Расследуется ли это дело до сих пор, неясно. Оба дела Ушаков связывал со своей правозащитной деятельностью.
Ранее Ушаков был обвиняемым по делу об изнасиловании бывшей следовательницы. В январе 2022 года суд оправдал правозащитника.
§ Follow
Adds this case to your workspace and turns on email alerts for updates.
§ UpdatesGet updates
We'll email you when new information about Boris Ushakov is published.
§ Updates
Get updates
We'll email you when new information about Boris Ushakov is published.
You'll receive a confirmation email. Unsubscribe any time from a link in the emails.
02Charges
Charges
02 count- 01insulting a representative of the authorities
- 02threatening violence against a representative of the authorities
Criminal Code Articles
02 articleArt. 319 УКArt. 318 УК
03Legal framework
How to read this section
This is a plain reading of published international standards against the facts recorded on this page. It is not a finding. No court, treaty body or UN special procedure has ruled on this case, and The Detained makes no assessment of guilt, innocence or state responsibility. Each entry below appears because a specific field on this record brings the standard into play, and says which field that was.
Standards engaged
07- 01Liberty and security of personICCPR, Article 9
Nobody may be deprived of liberty except on grounds and by procedures established by law. Anyone detained is entitled to have a court decide the lawfulness of the detention without delay, and to compensation if the detention was unlawful.
On this record: This record documents a deprivation of liberty beginning with the arrest recorded below.
Treaty text - 02Pre-trial detention as the exceptionICCPR, Article 9(3)
Detention before trial is meant to be the exception, not the rule. A person held on a criminal charge is entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release, with release conditions where a guarantee of appearance is needed.
On this record: No verdict is recorded on this file, so the person is held pending proceedings.
Treaty text - 03Presumption of innocenceICCPR, Article 14(2)
Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law. Public authorities are not to prejudge the outcome.
On this record: Proceedings on this file are recorded as still open.
Treaty text - 04Fair hearing before an independent tribunalICCPR, Article 14
A fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law, with adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence, counsel of the person’s own choosing, and the right to examine witnesses.
On this record: This record carries a criminal prosecution under articles 319 УК and 318 УК.
Treaty text - 05Peaceful assembly and associationICCPR, Articles 21 and 22
The right of peaceful assembly and the right to freedom of association are to be respected, subject only to restrictions that are prescribed by law and necessary in a democratic society. General Comment No. 37 (2020) sets out how the Committee applies this to protest.
On this record: The case is documented as arising from protest or organising activity.
Treaty text - 06Freedom from torture and ill-treatmentICCPR and CAT, ICCPR article 7; CAT articles 2, 12, 13 and 15
The prohibition is absolute and no circumstance whatever may be invoked to justify it. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe torture has occurred, the state must carry out a prompt and impartial investigation on its own initiative, and any statement established to have been obtained by torture may not be used as evidence in any proceedings.
On this record: Torture or ill-treatment is reported on this file. The report has not been adjudicated by any court or treaty body.
Treaty text - 07Humane treatment and health care in detentionICCPR and the Nelson Mandela Rules, ICCPR article 10(1); Rules 24, 27 and 30 (2015)
Detained people are to be treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity. Health care is a state responsibility, prisoners are entitled to the same standard of care available in the community, and cases needing specialised treatment are to be transferred to a specialised institution or civil hospital.
On this record: Health concerns are recorded on this file.
Where a case like this is filed
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention sorts submissions into five categories. On the facts recorded here, a submission would most naturally be filed under:
- IIDetention resulting from the exercise of protected rightsThe conduct on this record is the exercise of a freedom the ICCPR protects, which is the question Category II asks.
Which category applies, and whether the detention is arbitrary at all, is for the Working Group to decide.
- UN Working Group on Arbitrary DetentionRoute open
Individual complaint asking the Working Group to find the detention arbitrary and to name a remedy.
Open for every state. Domestic remedies do not have to be exhausted first, and the person’s consent or that of their family is normally required.
How to submit - UN special proceduresRoute open
An urgent appeal or allegation letter to the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Mandate holders can write to a government within days, which is why this is the fastest route on the list.
How to submit - UN Human Rights CommitteeRoute open
Individual communication under the First Optional Protocol, alleging breaches of the Covenant articles listed above.
Domestic remedies must be exhausted, or shown to be unavailable or ineffective in practice.
How to submit - UN Committee against TortureRoute open
Individual complaint under article 22 of the Convention against Torture.
This state has made the article 22 declaration, so the Committee can receive individual complaints.
How to submit - European Court of Human RightsRoute closed
Application after domestic remedies are exhausted, within the four month time limit.
The events dated on this record fall after 16 September 2022, after which the Court is no longer competent for this state.
How to submit
Filing on someone else's behalf can carry real consequences for them and for their family. The people closest to a case should decide whether it is submitted, and a lawyer or an experienced organisation should draft it.
04Analysis
Estimating case basis
AI-assisted analysis — read first
Every model behind the scores on this page was built and trained in-house, on our own case documentation — nothing is delegated to a black box. We work glass-box: each score opens to show the exact factors that moved it (the "Why this score?" panels), and the full training and calibration methodology is public.
Models miss nuance. Scores, predictions, and summaries on this page are produced by statistical and language models from the documents we have collected. They can be incomplete or wrong, and they cannot capture the legal nuance of an individual case — sentencing above all, where outcomes turn on circumstances no model sees.
Not for court. Do not cite these figures directly in court or in legal proceedings. They are research aids, not evidence and not legal advice. Verify every detail against the original sources listed on this page before relying on it.
Not a verdict. Our findings describe patterns in the data we have documented. They are not a determination that any individual case is unjust — that judgment belongs to the people involved, their families, and competent courts and tribunals.
05Timeline
Case Timeline
Arrest date
December 30, 2025
07Sources
Data Source
Source vs. TD analysis
OVD-InfoCase facts, charges, dates, and status.
TD analysisRisk, surveillance & sentence estimates — probabilistic, not the source's reporting.
View all data sources →Cite this case
The Detained. (2026). Case file: Boris Ushakov (TD case cmlh4ild, record version 2026-09-10). Retrieved September 18, 2026, from https://thedetained.org/prisoners/cmlh4ilde00011vppc1su08xj. Original data from OVD-Info (https://ovd.info/express-news/2026/02/09/pravozashchitnika-iz-saratovskoy-oblasti-borisa-ushakova-arestovali-po?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=(none)).
Formats reflect this case as an online database record. Always verify the original source before citing in legal filings.