TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are deeply concerned. There has been no contact from him for the past six days, and neither his allies nor his lawyers have been able to reach him. He was due to appear in court on Monday via video link but did not show up. Prison officials cited electricity problems as the reason. This lack of communication and transparency is worrying,” said spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.
Navalny, who is currently serving a 19-year term on charges of extremism, has been behind bars since January 2021. His well-being has been a cause of concern, especially after recent health issues. He has faced multiple prison terms and spent months in isolation in a penal colony in the Vladimir region east of Moscow for alleged minor infractions. According to his allies, he has been deprived of food and kept in a cell without ventilation.
Recently, Navalny’s lawyers were turned away at the last minute when trying to visit him in the penal colony. In addition, there have been concerns about letters not being delivered to him. Given his recent fainting spell, the situation is very worrying, particularly as he is due to be transferred to a “special security” penal colony, which has the highest security level in the Russian penitentiary system.

