Sep. 16 () –
Amnesty International (AI) has expressed concern about the conditions in prison for Russian opponent Alexei Navalni, where he is receiving “cruel, inhuman and degrading” treatment by the Russian prison authorities.
According to the director of AI for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Marie Struthers, Russia has carried out “repeated efforts” to isolate Navalni, since the rest of the prisoners are prohibited from talking to him or even looking at him.
“Aleksei Navalni is not allowed confidential meetings with his lawyer. His health and well-being are at serious risk, and this amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” Struthers warned, according to the organization itself.
Thus, Amnesty International has accused the Russian prison authorities of using “cruel methods” in order to “try to break the spirit” of Navalni and making his time in prison “unbearable, humiliating and dehumanizing”.
“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalni and the accountability of all those responsible for his illegal imprisonment and mistreatment,” Struthers concluded.
The Russian authorities renewed last week for the fourth time the solitary confinement of Navalni, who was sentenced to spend another fifteen days in a solitary cell in the Melejovo prison, located about 260 kilometers north of the capital, Moscow.
The Russian Justice confirmed at the end of May the sentence of nine years in prison against the opponent, accused of fraud and contempt, which implies not only extending his time in prison but also a toughening of the conditions of imprisonment, which will already be subject to stricter regimen.
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