Perm Founder and Partner Die in Cyprus and Spain
A couple from Perm, Lyubov Strelkova and Alexander Sheromov, died within days of each other, she in Cyprus, he in Barcelona. Alexander Sheromov was known in Perm as the founder of the rehabilitation drug center «Dolphin». A criminal case was initiated against him for unlawful confinement, but the rehab patients themselves and their relatives held pickets outside the court building in defense of the center. Friends of the Perm resident told 59.RU the circumstances of the tragedy.
She Died in Cyprus, He in Spain
Friends of the man reported on social media that Lyubov and Alexander had died.
«Bad news, unfortunately, never comes alone. We had not yet recovered from the loss of Lyuba, yesterday it became known that Sasha was also gone,» said a post by Alexander«s friend. »Many knew him as Sanya Bely — our beloved, bright, kind, and very dear person. Always ready to help, give the last, just so his friends and loved ones were happy. Sasha will forever remain in our hearts. Despite any life circumstances, Sasha was always cheerful and believed only in the best; such people as he are very rare to meet in life.«
In Cyprus, where Lyubov died, she and Alexander had lived in recent years, and he had also moved his parents there. Alexander Sheromov«s 17-year-old son from his first marriage lived in Barcelona, Spain. Alexander himself had recently moved there, and with Lyubov, they had started living separately, a close friend of Alexander told 59.RU.
A friend of the man informed 59.RU that both Alexander and Lyubov had pneumonia, which became the cause of death.
Additional details were reported by the federal publication Voice. According to the publication, Lyubov Strelkova died in the village of Iskele in Cyprus. «The body of the 39-year-old Russian woman was found on the evening of January 20 in the house where she lived,» the publication reports. «Police said that a doctor examined the woman»s body and found no signs of violent death.«
According to Voice, relatives and friends of Strelkova collected 760,000 rubles (approximately $8,400 at current rates) to transport her body from Cyprus. The farewell for Lyubov took place on January 31 in her hometown of Vereshchagino. Alexander Sheromov«s body has not yet been delivered to Perm.
«Currently, issues of cremation and transportation of Sasha to Perm are being resolved. In this difficult moment, the family very much needs our support,» wrote Alexander«s friends on social media. »Let«s unite to raise funds and help with the organization of cremation and transportation of Sasha to Perm. All collected funds will be directed exclusively to funeral expenses and help for his family.»
Who Was Alexander Sheromov?
Alexander Sheromov was a well-known Perm activist, founder of the foundation «Perm — City Without Drugs». Sheromov created one of the first rehabilitation drug centers in the Perm Krai, «Dolphin», which operated in Krasnokamsk.
In 2009, a criminal case was initiated against Alexander Sheromov and his assistant Denis Pantyukhin, accusing them of unlawful confinement not associated with kidnapping. OMON officers conducted a raid on «Dolphin».
By court decision, the president of the non-profit organization «Charitable Foundation »Perm City Without Drugs«», which at that time was the founder of the rehab center «Dolphin», Alexander Sheromov was sentenced to three years and two months in a colony-settlement. His assistant Denis Pantyukhin also received a sentence — three years in a colony-settlement. Later, their actual sentences were replaced with suspended ones.
During the court sessions, former rehab patients and their relatives held pickets in defense of Sheromov. There were also rallies against drug trafficking, in which Alexander Sheromov himself participated.
Later, the prosecutor of Prikamye Alexander Belykh filed a lawsuit for the liquidation of the charitable foundation «Perm — City Without Drugs». As Anastasia Uderevskaya, a lawyer for the Yekaterinburg foundation «City Without Drugs», told a 59.RU correspondent at the time, the prosecutor subsequently withdrew the lawsuit, since the foundation «Perm — City Without Drugs» had eliminated all previously identified violations: convicted Alexander Sheromov and Denis Pantyukhin were removed from the foundation«s board of founders.
In addition, a number of changes were made to the charter of the drug center «Dolphin» regarding the rehabilitation of drug addicts. All this served as grounds to withdraw the lawsuit. According to lawyer Anastasia Uderevskaya, the victory in court was made possible thanks to the position of the governor (at that time Oleg Chirkunov) and ombudsman Tatyana Margolina.
Also in defense of Alexander Sheromov spoke former president of the Nizhny Tagil foundation «City Without Drugs» Yegor Bychkov. He also worked in a rehab for treating drug addiction, was also accused of kidnapping and unlawful confinement. The court sentenced him to 3.5 years in a strict regime colony. In defense of Bychkov, many human rights activists, journalists, and bloggers spoke out. Soloist of the band «Chaif» Vladimir Shakhrin met with Dmitry Medvedev and told him about the case of Bychkov«s foundation; Medvedev asked the Prosecutor General»s Office to take special control of the situation. Later, the punishment for Yegor Bychkov was replaced with a suspended sentence of 2.5 years.
During the trials of Alexander Sheromov«s case, Yegor Bychkov came to Perm. In an interview with RIA Novosti, he emphasized that it is necessary to preserve both the foundation and the rehab center »Dolphin«.
«»Dolphin« is the largest rehabilitation center in the Perm Krai,» Yegor Bychkov said in that interview. «Currently, 70 people are undergoing rehabilitation there... In a region where only 15,000 drug addicts are officially registered and on record, and unofficially at least 10 times more — 150,000 drug addicts, closing a rehabilitation center is simply absurd.»
A 59.RU source anonymously reported that Alexander Sheromov had recently been wanted on suspicion of drug possession and trafficking, which is why he lived abroad.
