Russian opposition leader #AlexeiNavalny has died after feeling unwell & losing consciousness following a walk on Friday in the penal colony where he was held, according to the country's prison service. He was 47. Kremlin spox Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that Russian President Vladimir #Putin has been informed of his death, & prison medics are working to identify the cause of death.
His family members and supporters say authorities repeatedly denied #Navalny medical care, & subjected him to long, punishing stints in solitary confinement w/the apparent aim of preventing his access to the outside world. A representative of his Anti-Corruption Foundation in DC, expressed the belief in April that Navalny was slowly being #poisoned in prison.
"Nobody is allowed to see me," said Navalny, appearing gaunt during a court hearing in Oct. "I am completely isolated from information."
“We’ve heard the reports from #Russia of Alexei #Navalny’s death in prison. For more than a decade, the Russian govt, #Putin, persecuted, #poisoned & imprisoned #AlexeiNavalny, & now reports of his death.”
“First & foremost, if these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife & his family. Beyond that, his death in a Russian prison & the fixation & fear of 1 man only underscores the weakness & rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built.”