Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Sunday he was in good spirits on his third birthday behind bars, despite harsher prison conditions and another stint in solitary confinement.
It was on this day that in Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, police arrested at least 45 people who had participated in demonstrations for A. Navalny, reports the non-governmental organization “OVD-Info”. .
The team of A. Navalno claims he is harassed in jail and placed in “lockdown” for minor offences. According to his supporters, the authorities are trying to “break him spiritually”.
A staunch opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin said he woke up in solitary confinement on his 47th birthday, adding in a social media post that it was the 16th time he had been suspended. ‘isolation.
“On my birthday morning, I have to be honest with myself, so I wonder: am I really in a good mood or am I just making myself feel like this?”
“My answer is: I’m really in a good mood. Let’s face it, of course, I wish that instead of waking up in this hellhole, I could have breakfast with my family, get kisses on the cheek from my kids, unwrap presents… But life works so that social progress and a better future can only be achieved if a number of people are willing to pay a price for their right to hold beliefs.
Following Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, Russian authorities have cracked down on freedoms, with independent media shut down and most key opposition figures behind bars or in exile.
In his message, A. Navalny said he hoped that “the day will come when speaking the truth and standing up for justice in Russia will become normal and completely harmless”.
A. Navalnas, who previously organized mass protests against the Kremlin, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for embezzlement and other charges.
He shot to world fame after narrowly surviving poisoning with the Soviet-made nerve agent Novichok, an incident the opposition politician blames on the Kremlin.
He was arrested in January 2021 upon his return from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning.
Mr Navalny has been in prison for more than two years in a notorious settlement near the town of Vladimir, about 200 km from Moscow, communicating with the public and sending messages through his team of lawyers. Abroad, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin is considered a political prisoner.
Navalny faces a new trial for extremism and faces another 35 years in prison. According to Navalny himself, the authorities want him to remain in prison for life.
Source: The Delfi
