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Russia Overturns Doctor’s High-Profile Malpractice Sentence

Yelena Misyurina Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency

A Moscow court has overturned the guilty verdict against Yelena Misyurina, the doctor whose conviction in a high-profile medical negligence case sparked national controversy.

Misyurina, 46, was sentenced to two years in prison in January 2018 over a botched bone marrow biopsy in July 2013 that damaged a patient’s blood vessels, leading to his death. Russia’s medical community led a viral campaign on social media to call for her release and wider reforms, while figures including Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin expressed concern over her case.

The Moscow City Court ruled Thursday to overturn the malpractice verdict and terminate Misyurina’s criminal case due to lack of proof, Interfax reported.

Russian doctors can end up behind bars for medical mistakes. In Western countries, a medical expert panel decides on doctors’ punishments, which usually leads to temporary suspension or being barred from practicing altogether.

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