From Le Figaro with AFP
Published yesterday at 8:58 p.m., updated yesterday at 10:24 p.m.
Alexei Navalny in prison. EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / Portal
Alexei Navalny was transferred to a penal colony with particularly difficult conditions in the Russian Arctic
On Monday evening, France condemned the transfer of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny to a penal colony in the Russian Arctic and saw it as a new violation of human rights. “The secret that Russia has kept for almost ten days about the situation of Alexei Navalny and his transfer to a particularly isolated place of detention in order to further isolate him from his loved ones, while his health has seriously deteriorated since his detention. “new unacceptable developments and blatant human rights violations,” responded a spokesman for the Quai d'Orsay.
“France recalls that, under international law, Russia bears sole responsibility for the health of its detainees,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman added. Finally, Paris calls for the “immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and an end to all legal prosecution against them.”
The United States is “deeply concerned”
The United States also said Monday it was “deeply concerned” about the “detention conditions” of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny. “We welcome reports that Alexei Navalny has been located,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. “However, we remain deeply concerned about the fate of Alexei Navalny and his unfair prison conditions,” he said in a statement.
Charismatic anti-corruption activist and Vladimir Putin's biggest enemy, Alexei Navalny, is serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism.” Washington again called for the 40-year-old's “immediate release” and called on Moscow to put an end to the “increasing suppression of independent voices in Russia” and the “harmful targeting” of Alexei Navalny.
Beyond the Arctic Circle
The activist disappeared in early December from the penal colony in the Vladimir region, 250 kilometers east of Moscow, where he had been imprisoned until then, meaning his likely transfer to another facility. His spokeswoman said on Monday that she had “found” him in “penal colony number 3 in the city of Kharp.”
Kharp, with around 5,000 residents, is located in Yamal-Nenets, a remote region in northern Russia. It lies beyond the Arctic Circle and is home to several penal colonies.