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Freed US citizen Stephen Hubbard was tortured in Russian jail, former Ukrainian prisoners say
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- Former Ukrainian prisoners held alongside US citizen Stephen Hubbard in Russian jails reported witnessing his torture, including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual humiliation by prison guards during his four-year detention.
- Hubbard was captured in April 2022 in the occupied Ukrainian city of Izyum, accused of serving in Ukraine's armed forces, and sentenced to nearly seven years in a Moscow trial.
- Conditions in the prisons were harsh, with extreme cold, inadequate food, and medical neglect; Hubbard's health severely deteriorated, with reports of severe infections and untreated wounds.
- Hubbard was released by Russia after four and a half years, coinciding with a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts and claims of humanitarian gestures.
- Former prisoners condemned the treatment as systematic torture aimed at psychological and physical suppression, comparing it to Stalin-era repression and calling for accountability.
