Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died, Russian reports said today, citing the Siberian prison service where he was serving his sentence.
Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s staunchest domestic critic, was serving time on charges of extremism. hHe had been imprisoned for 19 years to prevent him from running for president.
“On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony number 3, prisoner Navalny AA felt unwell after a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness,” a statement read.
Medical workers from the institution immediately arrived and an emergency medical team was called, he added, stating that the necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but they did not yield positive results.
Emergency doctors confirmed the inmate’s death, the department said.
The 47-year-old was last seen in January when he was transferred to a Russian penal colony in the Arctic Circle, smiling and laughing as he stood in court via video link. The hearing was for one of the many lawsuits he filed against the penal colony; This one in particular questioned one of his stays in a “punishment cell.”
At the hearing, Navalny joked about the Arctic climate and asked if officials at his former prison hosted a party when he was transferred.
He had spent months isolated in Penitentiary Colony No. 6 before his transfer to IK-6.
He was repeatedly locked in a small punishment cell for alleged minor infractions, such as improperly fastening his prison uniform.
They also refused to give him his mail, deprived him of writing materials, denied him food he had ordered and paid for in addition to his usual meals, and did not allow family visits, Navalny argued in his lawsuits, questioning his treatment.
This is breaking news. More to continue…
Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region, where he was serving his sentence, said on Friday.