Navalny again did not appear at a court hearing via video link, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysch said on Tuesday. She reiterated her statement on Monday that the 47-year-old would be transferred from the IK-6 prison camp in Melechowo, around 240 kilometers east of Moscow.
The Russian leadership rejected questions about his whereabouts. It’s about a prisoner who was found guilty according to the law and is serving his sentence, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “Here we consider any interference by anyone, including the United States, to be unacceptable and impossible.” The US government had previously expressed concerns about Navalny’s well-being. The US State Department said the Russian authorities had been reminded that they were responsible for what happened to Navalny.
Harder prison camp
Navalny’s entourage had already prepared for the fact that President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic could be transferred to a harsher prison camp. In August, Navalny was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison, in addition to the 11 and a half years he is currently serving. The lawyers have no longer had any contact with him since Tuesday last week. According to Navalny’s employee Lyubov Sobol, the timing of the move is probably related to Putin’s announcement that he will run again in the presidential election in March. “They are so afraid of Navalny … that they have decided to cut off Navalny from the outside world as much as possible.”
Navalny was convicted, among other things, of extremism, his political movement was banned, close associates were imprisoned or fled abroad. Navalny rejects all allegations as politically motivated. They were aimed at silencing his criticism of Putin. It was unclear whether Navalny was already on his way to a new prison. Transporting prisoners by rail across the world’s largest country can take weeks. Lawyers and relatives often do not receive information about the whereabouts and well-being of the detainees until they arrive.
