There has been no sign of life from the imprisoned Kremlin opponent Navalny for days. Apparently he is not in the prison camp. According to his supporters, the 47-year-old has been relocated. Where is unclear.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has been imprisoned for years, has been moved from a prison camp, according to his supporters. His whereabouts are currently unclear, said Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysch via Platform X (formerly Twitter).
The staff of the IK-6 prison camp in the town of Melechowo, east of Moscow, told a lawyer for the opposition politician that Navalny was no longer among the prisoners. “They wouldn’t say where they took him,” she added. Navalny’s entourage had already prepared for the fact that the critic of President Vladimir Putin could be transferred to another prison camp with even harsher prison conditions.
US government “deeply concerned”
The US government also expressed concern. “We are deeply concerned about these reports,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. He reiterated that the US government is demanding Navalny’s “immediate” release. The US Embassy in Moscow will seek information on Navalny’s whereabouts, Kirby said.
Navalny is missing Court hearing
Concerns about Navalny’s health increased the morning after he again missed a court hearing. The politician’s lawsuits against the prison authorities are currently being heard in a court in the city of Kovrov. Since Thursday, Navalny has not been connected to the trial as usual.
The prison camp’s management justified this with alleged problems with the power supply, wrote Jarmysch. Last week, a prison camp representative told journalists that the problems would be resolved as quickly as possible. At the same time, the lawyers have no longer been allowed access to Navalny since last Wednesday. Letters from or to Navalny would also not be delivered.
Navalny’s aide Lyubov Sobol told the Reuters news agency that the timing of the move was probably related to Putin’s announcement that he would run again in next year’s presidential election. “They are so afraid of Navalny … that they have decided to cut off Navalny from the outside world as much as possible.”
More than 30 years in prison
The opposition politician has been behind bars since January 2021. In August, Navalny was sentenced to another 19 years in prison. In total, he is expected to serve a sentence of more than 30 years in a penal colony. He was convicted, among other things, of extremism, his political movement was banned, and close associates were imprisoned or fled abroad. Navalny rejects all allegations. They were politically motivated and aimed at silencing his criticism of Putin.