 She was not permitted to see her children even once in the sixteen months from the time of her arrest to the passing down of the sentence of imprisonment.In 2005 she went on hunger strike after her custodians in the pre-trial detention centre refused to allow her to make paid telephone calls to her sons.Following an appeal, the conviction for tax evasion was overturned in the Moscow City Court on 24 August 2006, and her sentence was accordingly reduced to six and a half years.