No sign of life from Putin opponent Alexei Navalny for days – we know the attack was foiled: Hamas terrorists arrested in Germany

Alexei Navalny remains missing. The Russian opposition figure’s whereabouts are still unknown, even ten days after his disappearance. His employees are very concerned because the 47-year-old is in poor health.

The journalist and employee of Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, Maria Pewtschich, wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter, that she had now contacted the United Nations. Navalny, who is in poor health, is currently not in contact with his lawyers or relatives. Letters from or to Navalny have not been delivered for more than a week. “What is happening to Alexei is a blatant violation of his fundamental rights,” Pewtschich wrote on Thursday.

Health problems and harassment

Navalny is said to have suffered from nausea in the past week, Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysch said. According to her, rumors recently circulated that Navalny was “under medical supervision”. “We do not believe these rumors and have no confirmation of them,” she continues

Navalny’s supporters say he has missed several court hearings. Navalny’s wife Julija Navalnaya said on Instagram that her husband was not connected to the Kovrov trial by video. Navalny denounces prison conditions and prison management. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

According to him, he is harassed in prison and has to be placed in isolation cells, which is particularly stressful for the inmates due to alleged prison violations. Navalny repeatedly draws attention to prison conditions with sometimes sarcastic posts on social media. Even in prison, he is considered one of Vladimir Putin’s main opponents. He was usually connected to the legal proceedings via camera.

Conflicting statements

Nalvany’s spokeswoman Yarmysh said on Friday that a lawyer had now been told in court that Navalny had been taken from his prison about 160 miles east of Moscow and “left the Vladimir region.” ‘Where exactly is unknown. Apparently this happened on December 11,” Jarmysch writes. According to her, an employee of the IK-6 penal colony had previously made similar statements.

It was later said he was in custody in Moscow. Navalny’s supporters said they could not find him there. “Navalny is not in custody in Moscow,” Anti-Corruption Foundation head Ivan Zhdanov wrote on Thursday.

Authorities had previously claimed for days that Navalny had been unable to attend the negotiations due to problems with the camp’s power supply.

There is great international sympathy for Navalny’s fate. There are fears that he could die in prison if he is not given medical attention.

The German government was “deeply concerned”. There is reason for concern over Navalny’s health and the “inhumane” prison conditions, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin on Wednesday.

The Kremlin reacts sharply to American criticism

“We call on the Russian authorities to immediately and fully guarantee Navalny’s medical care and treatment,” Hebestreit stressed. He reiterated calls for the 47-year-old’s release. His capture was based on a “politically motivated judgment.”

The EU also responded, once again calling for Navalny’s “immediate” release. “Very worrying news about Navalny, who has been missing for seven days,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X on Tuesday.

Moscow responded sharply on Tuesday to a message from the US government, which also expressed “deep concern” and called for his release. The Kremlin banned the US from ‘interfering’ in the case. “We are talking about a prisoner who has been found guilty by the law and is serving the sentence imposed on him,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Any interference, including from the US, is unacceptable.”

Putin personally responsible?

Navalny’s sentencing to 19 years in prison for, among other things, extremism is internationally seen as an act of arbitrariness.

In August 2020, Navalny narrowly survived an assassination attempt with the Novichok chemical weapon and was flown to Berlin and treated there. Navalny subsequently returned to Russia and was arrested there. Navalny blames Russian President Vladimir Putin and the domestic intelligence service FSB for the assassination attempt on his life.

The opposition’s popularity is based on revelations of corruption in the leadership and on the organization of protests. But he is also criticized for previous nationalist statements. His wife Yulia Navalnaya told Spiegel: “It is Putin personally who ensures that Alexei remains in custody.”

Sources