Award-Winning Production Designer Dies at Moscow Hospital After Arrest for Treason

Alexander Kondratov, an award-winning production designer for the popular Russian TV series “Liquidation,” has died at a Moscow hospital after being transferred from a detention center where he was awaiting trial on treason charges, the rights NGO Perviy Otdel said Monday.

Kondratov, 52, was reportedly hospitalized at the Botkin hospital last Friday for an undisclosed ailment. The cause of his death has not been made public.

Russian law enforcement authorities charged Kondratov with treason on Aug. 5, though he had been held for more than 70 days under so-called “carousel arrests,” a practice of consecutive detentions on charges of disorderly conduct. 

Born and raised in Moscow, Kondratov moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2012, where his family currently resides.

Russian border guards at Vnukovo International Airport detained him on May 5, when he arrived to renew his international passport.

His defense attorney Natalia Tikhonova said the treason charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison for men, stemmed from “at least six” online posts Kondratov had made. The nature of those posts has not been disclosed.

Kondratov was best known for his work as an art and production designer for the 2007 post-World War II detective drama “Liquidation.” His work on the series earned him two of Russia’s highest honors in television production — the TEFI and Golden Eagle awards.

Perviy Otdel reported that Kondratov’s death marks at least the 11th known case of someone dying in Russian custody this year while standing trial on charges widely viewed as being politically motivated.

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