Navalny, the most prominent rival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism.
Alexei Navalny was arrested in January 2021 on his return to Russia from Germany, where he was being treated after a poisoning attempt. According to the dissident, the attempt to assassinate him was organized by the Russian special services.
In February 2021, the court suspended Navalny's previous prison sentence for alleged financial fraud. In March 2022, the oppositionist received another sentence - nine years in a high-security penal colony on charges of embezzlement and contempt of court. Two months later, new charges were brought against Navalny, including "creating an extremist organization", and in October 2022 the list of charges was expanded to include "promoting terrorism" and "rehabilitating Nazism".
In August 2023, a Moscow court found Navalny guilty of alleged "extremist activity" and sentenced him to a total of 19 years in prison. As reported by the Meduza website, Navalny was supposed to be transferred to a high-security penal colony designed for the most dangerous prisoners, including recidivists and lifers.
Navalny has repeatedly complained about the conditions in the penal colony, directly calling them torture. The Kremlin critic reported that he was deprived of sleep, denied medical care, and deliberately placed in a cell with a convicted murderer who suffered from serious illnesses and poor personal hygiene. He was also not allowed any contact with his defenders or relatives.
Stay tuned for more details. /BGNES
