South Ossetian opposition leader Alla Dzhioyeva remained in critical condition Friday, a day after suffering an apparent stroke during a raid on her home.
A doctor at the hospital where Dzhioyeva is in intensive care said the opposition leader may be transferred to a medical facility in Russia, Interfax reported Friday morning.
Law enforcement had stormed the house in Tskhinvali on Thursday to take Dzhioyeva into custody for questioning about an alleged coup attempt in 2011, when she was stricken, said the region's deputy prosecutor general, Georgy Kabulov.
"Dzhioyeva was summoned for questioning to the Prosecutor General's Office as an eyewitness in the attempt to seize the Central Election Commission's building last year," he told RIA-Novosti. "She did not show up."
"When law enforcers entered her home [to try to bring her in for questioning using force], she suffered a hypertensive crisis and fainted. She is in a hospital now," he said.
A doctor in the hospital said Dzhioyeva — who was planning her inauguration for Friday following a disputed election that had been cancelled by the courts — had suffered a microstroke, or a transient ischemic attack, the news agency reported.
The alarming turn of events came as the acting President of the region Vadim Brovtsev said in a statement Thursday night that all attempts at an unconstitutional coup in the country would be stopped.
He said Dzhioyeva's plan to assume the presidency was "clearly contrary to the decisions of the parliament and other public authorities to ensure law and order and succession of presidential power," according to Interfax.
She appeared to have defeated Russia's favored candidate, Anatoly Bibilov, in voting in November last year, but the results were declared invalid by the Supreme Court on grounds of vote-rigging. Election officials had declared a new election for March 25 and barred her from participating, but Dzhioyeva called the new vote illegitimate and declared herself the winner.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
