“It has been six consecutive days without any information on the whereabouts or condition of Alexei Navalny, as reported by his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Since January 2021, Navalny, 47, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been imprisoned. Known for his anti-corruption campaigns and organizing significant protests against the Kremlin, Navalny’s detention occurred following his return to Moscow from Germany. He had been recovering there from a nerve agent attack, which he attributes to the Kremlin.
Navalny is currently serving multiple prison sentences and has faced extended periods in solitary confinement in a correctional facility in the Vladimir region, to the east of Moscow. He has consistently dismissed all the accusations against him as politically motivated.
Yarmysh recently revealed that Navalny’s legal team had been denied access to him for three consecutive days at the penal colony, despite waiting for hours. Moreover, Navalny has not been receiving letters, and he was absent from his scheduled court hearings via video link.
Yarmysh expressed alarm last Friday over Navalny’s health, recounting an incident where he felt dizzy and lay on the floor. Prison staff quickly responded, providing him with an IV drip after placing him on a bed. The causes of his illness are unclear, but Yarmysh suspects it could be due to inadequate nutrition, poor ventilation in his cell, and limited time outdoors.
Following this episode, lawyers who visited Navalny reported that he appeared to be in a stable condition.
Navalny is scheduled for transfer to a high-security penal colony, known for being the most secure in the Russian prison system.
Transfers within the Russian prison system are infamous for their lengthy durations, often spanning weeks. During this time, prisoners are usually inaccessible, and information about their locations is often scarce or completely unavailable.”
