Lost Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny Found in Moscow Prison
Lost Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny Found in Moscow Prison
As Navalny is perhaps the only leader who can challenge Putin’s attempt to rule forever, it is believed that the Russian regime is trying to kill him slowly in jail.
By RMN News Service
A prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, whose whereabouts and wellbeing were not known for almost 2 weeks, has been found in a Moscow prison.
A BBC report of today (December 26, 2023) confirmed Navalny’s reappearance at an Arctic prison after he was moved from another jail to the east of Moscow. His team had lost contact with him on December 6.
The BBC report adds that Navalny was moved to the IK-3 penal colony, nicknamed “Polar Wolf”, in the northern town of Kharp, nearly 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
Kremlin critic Navalny, 47, is a fierce political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was arrested in Moscow by the Russian authorities on 17 January 2021 immediately after his return from Germany where he was recovering from a failed poisoning attempt.
Navalny is currently serving a harsh prison sentence after recovering from the assassination attempt, which was allegedly made with orders from Putin.
In June 2021, the Russian government had also outlawed Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) by declaring it an “extremist” outfit. Navalny’s FBK has been declared a “foreign agent” under another draconian law.
The hostile action against Navalny has been taken despite a slew of sanctions and censure statements by the U.S. and European leaders against Russia. It is alleged that after sending him to jail under frivolous charges, the Russian regime is slowly trying to murder Navalny, who is serving a torturous prison sentence.
He is not being provided proper medical treatment as Navalny continues to be sick in solitary confinement where he was kept by the Russian authorities. On 10 January 2023, over 400 doctors in Russia signed an open letter to President Putin demanding that prison authorities stop abusing Navalny. But Putin has no respect for such humanitarian appeals.
As Navalny is perhaps the only leader who can challenge Putin’s attempt to rule forever, it is believed that the Russian regime is trying to kill him slowly in jail. Putin has signed a new legislation that will allow him to stay in power until 2036, while his second consecutive and fourth overall presidential term ends in 2024.
With the aim to thwart Navalny’s political challenge to Putin, in 2021 a new law in Russia banned Navalny from running for any elected post for a period of 5 years.
Meanwhile, in January 2023, the Council of Europe called on the Russian authorities to honour the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment on Navalny case so that he could be released from jail. But the Russian authorities ignored the appeal from the Council of Europe.
