AP September 18, 2018, 5:16 AM Doctors say Russian Pussy Riot member likely poisoned
Anti-Kremlin activist and Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov who lost his sight, hearing and ability to walk in a suspected poisoning arrives on a special medical transport plane at Schoenefeld airport in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 15, 2018.
REUTERS
BERLIN — German doctors treating Pyotr Verzilov, a member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot, say claims that he was poisoned are "highly plausible," based on his symptoms. Dr. Karl Max Einhaeupl of Berlin's Charite hospital told reporters Tuesday there is no evidence Verzilov was suffering from a long-term illness.
His colleague Dr. Kai-Uwe Eckardt said Verzilov, who has Canadian citizenship, has been receiving intensive care since arriving in Berlin on Saturday but his condition isn't life threatening.
Eckardt said Verzilov was treated well in Moscow before being flown to Germany. He says the symptoms indicate a disruption of the part of Verzilov's nervous system that regulates the inner organs.
Doctors in Berlin haven't yet determined what substance was responsible for the poisoning.
Verzilov was among four Pussy Riot protesters who barged onto the field during the soccer World Cup final in Moscow in July. The members of the punk protest collective were handed 15 day jail sentences for their stunt, during which they ran onto the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium dressed as police officers during the second half of the match between France and Croatia.
They used the protest to call for the release of political prisoners in Russia and for more open political competition.
A Russian court sentenced them after finding them guilty of violating the law on behavior of sports events spectators. They were also banned from attending sports events for three years.
