A 72-year-old Turkish man dying of cancer has been arrested on suspicion of spying in Moscow, a member of the Public Oversight Commission NGO wrote on Facebook Friday, the MediaZone news website reported.
Ahmed Sakha Unlu was arrested two days ago at his hotel on espionage charges and is now being held in at the Lefortovo pre-trial detention facility.
“Ahmed has a range of illnesses: cancer, diabetes, heart problems and varicose veins,” wrote Zoya Svetova from the Public Oversight Commission. “He is a well-known business man, an agricultural engineer, and a friend of Russia.
“Until his arrest, he was undergoing a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Six months ago, doctors gave him a year and a half to live. Ahmed is also hard of hearing, but his hearing aid has been taken away.”
The man has not yet been able to speak to a lawyer and has not been visited by the Turkish consulate, said Svetova.
Prison doctors said that Unlu did not have any medical documents proving his conditions, she wrote.
The Public Oversight Commission is a non-governmental organization which works to ensure human rights are upheld in Russian prisons.
