Aleksei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition figure and anti-corruption activist, was unlawfully detained and has been imprisoned for 11 years and 6 months. He is still in prison and suffers continual ill-treatment, including constant surveillance and psychological pressure. He must be freed immediately and unconditionally.
In August 2020 while on a trip to Tomsk (South Siberia), Aleksei Navalny was poisoned by a prohibited military grade Novichok nerve agent . Later the same month he was evacuated to Germany for treatment, unconscious and in a critical condition.
Navalny returned to Russia on 17 January 2021 and was immediately taken into custody. A court in Moscow ruled to imprison Aleksei Navalny for 2 years and 6 months for “violating the terms of a suspended sentence” by failing to report to his probation officer while receiving life-saving treatment in Germany.
The Russian authorities didn’t stop there and continued their unlawful prosecution of Aleksei Navalny. In February 2022 he was charged with fraud and in March 2022 sentenced to a nine-year prison term in a strict regime penal colony.
In May 2022 Aleksei Navalny faced new politically motivated charges. He was accused of founding an extremist community. If found guilty, Navalny’s detention could be increased by up to 10 years.
Aleksei Navalny was ill-treated while in detention including sleep deprivation, denial of adequate health care and psychological pressure. In June 2022, he was transferred to the strict regime penal colony, where he said he was kept in a “prison within prison” and forced to work while sitting on a low stool, which risked exacerbating his health problems.