MOSCOW, August 21 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) - The Sverdlovsk Regional Court has overturned an earlier court ruling that denied the release of an HIV positive prisoner, attorney Alexei Bushmakov told RAPSI on Friday.

The court ruled in favor of the prisoner’s appeal against former decisions to deny his release based on health issues. The court found the previous denials invalid and overturned the ruling of the Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Tagil. The court ordered the immediate release of the dying HIV positive man.

Last week, the European Court for Human Rights urgently communicated to Russia a complaint about the HIV positive prisoner, currently undergoing treatment at a prison hospital in the Sverdlovsk Region. An answer is expected before November 6.

Since 2013, the convict, who was sentenced to ten years for murder, has been serving his term at a high security prison in the Sverdlovsk Region.

In September 2014, a special prison hospital medical commission concluded that the convict had the right to be released. However, the Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Tagil denied the petition. The prisoner appealed to the Sverdlovsk Regional Court, last February, which upheld the district court’s ruling. The prisoner then filed a second petition with the Leninsky District Court where it was rejected again, and thus the second successful appeal above.