Dissident Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in prison.
Navalny, 47, died in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, as stated in a statement released by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service.
"Navalny felt unwell after the walk, losing consciousness almost immediately. Medical personnel arrived immediately and an ambulance was called. Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not give positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the sentenced. The causes of death are being established", reads the statement.
He had been detained since January 2021.
Video January 10: Navalny reappears via video link for a hearing
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov claims that Putin has been informed of the death of Russian opponent Alexey Navalny,
but that he does not know the cause of his death
.
This was reported by the Interfax and Tass agencies.
Right-hand man Navalny 3 days ago, 'he doesn't fear for his life'
Speaking three days ago in a video conference from abroad with a group of European diplomats in Moscow, Alexei Navalny's right-hand man, Leonid Volkov, said that the opponent was "in surprisingly good psychophysical condition" and that he did not fear for his life , ensuring you “feel safe.”
A diplomatic source who participated in the meeting reported this to ANSA.
President of Latvia, 'Navalny was killed by the Kremlin'
"Whatever your thoughts on Alexey Navalny as a politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin. This is a fact and it is something one should know about the true nature of the current Russian regime. My condolences to his family and friends."
The president of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics wrote this in a tweet.
Navalny's latest message, 'punished for 15 days'
“Iamal prison decided to break Vladimir's record in order to flatter and please the Moscow authorities. They just gave me 15 days in a punishment cell. That is, this is the fourth punishment cell in less than 2 months who are with them."
This is Alexei Navalny's last message on platform X dated February 14 at 3 pm.
The Russian dissident's spokesperson: 'We still have no direct news'
Kira Yarmysh, Alexei Navalny's spokeswoman, said she still had no direct news on the opponent's death.
"The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets District - wrote Yarmysh on city near the detention center, ed.). As soon as we have some information, we will communicate it."
He had been placed in solitary confinement for the 27th time
The Russian dissident and opponent Alexey Navalny had once again been locked up in a punishment cell, for the 27th time since August 2022: his spokesperson Kira Yarmish reported it, reported by the online newspaper Meduza, specifying that at the end of the 15 days of isolation inflicted on him, Navalny will have spent 308 days in a cramped penalty cell in the last year and a half.
And the official reason for the punishment is unclear.
The opponent, in prison for political reasons, denounced several serious abuses in these three years of imprisonment and that he was continuously locked up in an isolation cell with the most absurd pretexts, such as having washed his face a little before the set time or having a button undone.
A situation already highlighted by Amnesty International, which accused the management of the Melekhovo prison - where the dissident was previously imprisoned - of wanting to "break Navalny's spirit by making his existence in the penal colony unbearable, humiliating and dehumanising".
For almost the entire month of December, Navalny's whereabouts were unknown.
On December 6, his staff reported having lost contact with him and on December 11, his spokeswoman announced that, according to the Melekhovo detention center, the dissident was no longer there.
Only at the end of the month, the authorities announced that Navalny had been transferred to the remote "Polar Wolf" special regime penal colony, beyond the Arctic Circle.
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