The situation of politician Alexei Navalny, detained in Russia, is good, according to the prison authorities, but he is taken to a hospital in a penitentiary institution. Navalny has been on a hunger strike since the end of March and his health is deteriorating.
Navalny’s supporters reported last weekend that the politician could die at any time if he does not receive proper care. His kidneys would not work properly, causing him to have too much potassium in his body, among other things. Such an excess of potassium can lead to cardiac arrest, for example.
The politician has also long complained of severe back pain and numbness in his right leg and has asked for treatment by his own medical team, but the prison has turned down his request.
He went on a hunger strike three weeks ago to demand better care. According to his wife Yulia, he has already lost more than 9 kilos.
Medical facilities in the camp are poor, according to lawyers
Earlier this month, Navalny had yet to be transferred to the prison infirmary because of a persistent cough and an elevated temperature. Navalny’s lawyers, who visit him regularly, say that the medical facilities in the camp are poor and that only one nurse works in the infirmary.
US President Joe Biden has called Navalny’s situation “totally unfair and completely inappropriate” on Saturday. More than 70 well-known artists and writers, including actor Jude Law and author JK Rowling, wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin to give Navalny access to medical assistance.
Navalny was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in February
Navalny, 44, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in February for allegedly violating the terms of a previous fraud conviction. He was arrested in January after his return from Germany. In Germany he recovered from poisoning with the very dangerous nerve gas novichok.
The opposition leader accuses the Russian president of having ordered the attack. Putin denies this.
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