MOSCOW, November 24 (RAPSI) – Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during a plenary session on Thursday expressed concern over the welfare of Russian activist Ildar Dadin sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and called on Russia to immediately release him, according to the Parliament's press-release.

MEPs insist on a thorough and transparent independent investigation into the situation with Dadin who complained on a number of occasions of prison conditions and torture.

The European Parliament members also discussed the necessity of imposing “targeted sanctions” on “those responsible for the mistreatment” of Dadin.

On December 7, 2015, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court sentenced Dadin to 3 years in prison for numerous violations of protest laws. The Moscow City Court later reduced the term to 2.5 years.

Dadin’s wife, Anastasia Zotova, wrote on Facebook in early November that her husband had been beaten and received murder threats when transferred to a penal colony in Karelia. The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) launched a probe into the allegations. Later, the FSIN announced that independent medical commission from a local hospital had not found injuries on Dadin’s body.