The imprisoned opposition leader stopped eating in protest of the authorities' refusal to allow him access to medical care • "I am lying hungry, but with two legs," Nabalani wrote
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny // Photo: AP
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has stepped up his fight against the penal colony authorities in which he is imprisoned and today (Wednesday) declared a hunger strike.
A message posted on his behalf on his Instagram page read: "Every prisoner has the right to call in a specialist doctor for examination and consultation. So do I, although I am not guilty. Therefore I demand to be allowed to see a doctor. Until then, I declare a hunger strike."
Navalny added that "I am not allowed to see a doctor or receive medication. Back pain radiates to one leg. I have lost sensation in parts of my right leg and now also in my left leg. Instead of medical treatment, I am tortured with sleep deprivation (wake up 8 times a night) "To my bed, and they (the prisoners) say that the prisoner's life is worth less than a pack of cigarettes. I'm lying hungry but at least with two legs."
A senior member of the anti-corruption fund Lyubov Sobol commented on the matter, saying: "It is very difficult and painful to see this.
"We are very worried about Alexei. He is very bad and the prison staff do nothing and break the law," the Nabalani group said.