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Vladimir Putin’s predominant political opponent Alexei Navalny is lacking after being eliminated by officers from a jail colony in Russia, his allies say.
The alarm was raised after the politician failed to point out for a scheduled courtroom look by way of videolink on Monday, with buddies saying that they had additionally not heard from him in six days.
The 47-year-old has been behind bars since January 2021 on what supporters say are politically-motivated expenses.
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Mr Navalny was transferred to the IK-6 jail in Melekhovo, east of Moscow, final yr, however his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh stated workers there had now confirmed he had been faraway from the power.
She added on X, previously Twitter: “The place they’ve taken him, they refuse to say.”
Ms Yarmysh stated jail officers claimed he had not appeared by way of videolink as anticipated due to “electrical energy issues”.
It comes simply days after Mr Putin announced he would stand for re-election next year – probably retaining him in energy till a minimum of 2030.
Mr Navalny’s aide Leonid Volkov additionally posted on X that the timing was “0% coincidence and 100% direct handbook political management from the Kremlin.”
He added: “It’s no secret to Putin who his predominant opponent is in these ‘elections’. And he needs to make it possible for Navalny’s voice is just not heard.”
The politician has been one of many Russian president’s fiercest critics lately and helped organise large-scale anti-Kremlin protests.
However he was arrested in January 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, the place he had been recuperating from being poisoned by a nerve agent.
Mr Navalny blamed the Kremlin for the assault, an allegation denied by Russian authorities.
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Mr Navalny lost an appeal in September against a 19-year prison term for alleged extremist exercise which was handed down in August and got here on prime of an present 11-and-a-half yr sentence for fraud and different expenses.
Following the most recent sentencing his allies stated that they had been anticipating him to be moved to a “particular regime” jail colony, the harshest grade in Russia’s jail system, however had not been given any additional info.
Supporters stated workers at one other jail colony, IK-7, had additionally denied they have been holding Mr Navalny.
Nonetheless, it may possibly take weeks for prisoners to be transferred between jails and households are generally not informed about their family’ whereabouts till they attain their vacation spot.
A Russian lawyer, who wished to stay nameless, informed Sky Information authorized representatives often submit an official request to seek out out the place their shoppers are.
“Typically they [the colony authorities] merely present you on the database proper on the spot, generally they simply title the area the place they’re,” they stated, however added that responses assorted.
Mr Navalny denies all expenses towards him.
The Kremlin is but to remark, though it has beforehand accused opposition figures similar to Mr Navalny of getting hyperlinks with Western intelligence businesses which they are saying need to destabilise Russia.
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