The European Court of Human Rights has awarded three seriously ill Russian remand prisoners a total of 38,000 euros following lawsuits against the Russian authorities for poor treatment in pretrial detention centers, according to a ruling published on the court's website on Tuesday, RAPSI news agency reported.

The issue of poor medical treatment in Russian pretrial detention centers has become increasingly controversial following the high-profile deaths in custody of Hermitage Capital Management fund legal adviser Sergei Magnitsky in November 2009 and Vera Trofimova, a defendant in a fraud case, in April 2010.

The Strasbourg court said the petition was filed by Armen Arutyunyan, Teymuraz Sakhvadze and Vladimir Vasilyev, who were charged with serious crimes including murder and attempted rape.

According to the ECHR ruling, Arutyunyan is confined to a wheelchair and suffers from obesity and diabetes. Sakhvadze has tuberculosis and suffers from pain in his stomach, liver and kidneys. Vasilyev has tuberculosis and diabetes and his left foot was partially amputated.

The applicants complained of poor medical treatment in custody, and referred to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which stipulates that no one should be tortured or humiliated.

Arutyunyan also accused the Russian authorities of violating his right to freedom and personal inviolability, claiming his pretrial detention was unreasonably long. Vasilyev also argued that his right to a fair trial had been violated.

The court awarded Arutyunyan 15,000 euro, Sakhvadze 14,000 euro and Vasilyev 9,000 euro.