Jailed Putin critic Navalny back in solitary confinement; conditions 'extremely hellish'

New Delhi: Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny claimed on Tuesday that he had once again been placed in solitary confinement and was being subjected to “extremely hellish” conditions, reported Reuters.

The 46-year-old Navalny is currently serving two sentences totaling 11-1/2 years in a high-security penal colony for fraud and contempt of court, which he claims were made up to keep him quiet. Last month, a documentary about him received an Oscar.

According to Reuters, Navalny said he was released from solitary confinement on Friday and ordered to another 15 days there on Monday after his supporters circulated a report alleging that the prison service was overpaying for cabbage and pocketing the surplus.

He tweeted, “That is why the very next day after my colleagues released their investigation about these fun cabbage stories, they put me in the (confinement cell), immediately started setting up a ‘working cell’ for me and changed the daily routine, turning it from hellish to extremely hellish.”

Navalny, who survived a poisoning attempt in 2020, has been regularly kept in punishment cells over the last year, and supporters claim his life is at risk as his health deteriorates.

According to lawyer Vadim Kobzev, an ambulance was sent to the colony on Friday night when Navalny’s condition deteriorated due to a stomach complaint. The prisoner tweeted that he lost eight kilogrammes (18 pounds) during his most recent 15-day stint in solitary confinement, reported Reuters.

Navalny also claimed that prison officials “made up completely illegal rules, forbidding me to buy food, even with money I had earned.”

With inputs from agencies

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