The death of the 47-year-old leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, was announced by the correctional authorities.
Alexei Navalny died at Correctional Colony No. 3 in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, the regional branch of the Federal Penitentiary Service reported on Friday.
“On February 16 of the current year, at Correctional Colony No. 3, convict Alexei Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical personnel from the facility arrived promptly, and an emergency medical team was called”, the statement said.
“All necessary resuscitation measures were taken, but did not produce positive results. The emergency medical team confirmed the convict’s death. The cause of death is being established”, the statement added.
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) is conducting all necessary checks regarding Alexei Navalny’s death, said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian President, in the Kremlin’s first reaction. “As far as we know now, according to all existing rules, the FSIN is dealing with all checks, clarifications, etc. There is a specific set of rules that the Service is guided by,” Peskov told reporters.
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He had been in isolation for 10 days
Navalny had been placed in isolation 10 days ago, specifically on January 23. This was because, as his representative had said, he did not declare his name to a guard in the proper manner.
Kirra Yarmis, his representative, had said on Platform X that it was the 25th time Navalny had been placed in isolation and that he had spent 283 days under such conditions.
Navalny, a former lawyer who dedicated many years of his life to denouncing corruption in Russia and exposing the secrets of the Putin government, was in a correctional facility about 60 km away from the Arctic Circle.
Navalny had been sentenced to remain in prison until the age of 74. He claimed that the charges against him were fabricated in order to keep him away from political life.
