Alexey Navalny's Absence Raises Alarm as his Team Loses Contact with Jailed Russian Opposition Leader
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny fails to attend trial after his legal team loses contact with him The trial, which was scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed as Navalny remains imprisoned in a penal colony located approximately 150 miles east of Moscow
The trial of Alexey Navalny was delayed on Tuesday, following reports that his team had been unable to reach the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, who was supposedly being held in a penal colony approximately 150 miles east of Moscow. Concern arose when spokesperson Kira Yarmysh posted on social media that they had lost contact with Navalny.
Navalny's spokesperson, who was sentenced to 19 years on extremism charges in August along with a previous sentence, mentioned that a prison staff member reported the 47-year-old had "left their colony" but could not confirm his location on Tuesday. Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, stated in a post on X that the politician's trial was postponed again on Tuesday. When the judge inquired about Navalny's whereabouts, he was directed to the Federal Penitentiary Service, according to Zhdanov.
Navalny was convicted this year of establishing an extremist group, funding extremist actions, and several other offenses. He was already serving a combined 11-and-a-half-year sentence in a high-security prison for fraud and other charges, all of which he denies.
Navalny's supporters argue that his arrest and imprisonment are a politically driven effort to suppress his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his discussions with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on June 30, 2022. Widodo, who is also the current Chairman of G20, is on a visit to Ukraine and Russia this week. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
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Lawyers have made multiple attempts to access two penal colonies where Navalny, who has experienced serious health issues, is believed to be held, Yarmysh stated Monday on X. They were informed that he was not at either the IK-6 or IK-7 penal colonies, Yarmysh added.
During a conference call with journalists on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed the Kremlin's strong objection to US intervention after the White House expressed being "deeply concerned" about reports of Navalny's disappearance.
"The prisoner in question has been found guilty according to the law and is currently serving their sentence. In this instance, we deem any intervention from any party, including the United States of America, to be unacceptable and infeasible," Peskov informed reporters. He also mentioned that the Kremlin does not have the capability or desire to track the location of prisoners.
A thorn in Putins side
Putin's announcement of his intention to run for president again in Russia's elections in March 2024, came just days before Navalny's disappearance, potentially allowing him to maintain power until at least 2030.
Navalny has presented a significant challenge to Putin's authority during his over two-decade-long rule. He arranged street demonstrations against the government and utilized his blog and social media to reveal suspected corruption within the Kremlin and Russian business.
In 2020, the activist was transferred from Russia to Germany after being poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent developed in the Soviet era. Navalny had to be airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk and was brought in a comatose state to a hospital in Berlin.
CNN and Bellingcat's joint investigation revealed that the Russian Security Service (FSB) was implicated in Navalny's poisoning. The investigation discovered that a team of 6 to 10 FSB agents specializing in toxins had been tracking Navalny for over 3 years.
Despite this, Russia denies any involvement in Navalny's poisoning. In December 2020, Putin stated that if the Russian security service had intended to kill Navalny, they would have succeeded.
Upon his arrival in Russia in January 2021, Navalny was promptly arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his probation in connection to a 2013 fraud case, which he claims was politically driven. Despite being imprisoned, he has been advocating against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and working to rally public resistance to the conflict.
Navalny stated on his website that there will be a significant campaign against the war and against Putin. This will be a prolonged and strenuous effort, but crucial in turning public opinion against the war. This report includes contributions from CNN's Nikki Carvajal.
