Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being poisoned in prison, according to a colleague, as the Kremlin blamed his organisation for a bombing in a St Petersburg cafe that killed a prominent military blogger.
Mr Navalny, 46, has been the leading political opponent of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, for more than a decade, challenging him through elections, protests and a network of activist organisations across Russia that have been outlawed as “extremist” groups.
The former lawyer was imprisoned last March on fraud charges in what Amnesty International called a “sham trial” when he returned to Russia after recovering from being poisoned, allegedly by Russian agents. Mr Navalny also faces terror charges that could see him detained for decades.
Allies have increasingly voiced concerns about the dissident’s treatment behind bars and the latest warning is the starkest yet.
“We believe he is being administered low doses of poison,” said Anna Veduta, the US-based vice president of Mr Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.
He has lost more than a stone in 15 days, she said, and has been placed in solitary confinement.
Mr Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed that his condition was “very serious”.
“An ambulance was called for him last week and we all understand that if prison guards call an ambulance for someone the situation must be critical,” she told i.
“Alexei has never had such symptoms before, so we can’t rule out that he might be poisoned. He is not told the diagnosis and is not being treated.”
Associates say the dissident is subjected to cruelty and even torture at the maximum security IK-6 penal colony in western Russia, with a low stool in the sewing room where he works, exposure to bright lighting and arbitrary punishments.
“His health and life are in danger,” said Daniil Ken, head of a teacher’s union that is part of the Navalny network. “He is in the hands of his enemies and is deprived of access to normal diagnosis and treatment.”
The dire prognosis came as the Russian security agency, the FSB, released a statement charging the Anti-Corruption Foundation with responsibility for the St Petersburg bombing of 2 April that killed ultranationalist war correspondent, Maxim Fomin, better known as Vladlen Tatarsky.
Russian authorities have “established that the organisers of the terrorist attack… were the special services of Ukraine and their agents, including from among the Russian opposition”, said the FSB.
The agency named two close Navalny associates, Ivan Zhdanov and Leonid Volkov, who have left Russia, stating that they were being pursued for “terrorist and extremist activities”.
The FSB added that Darya Trepova, who is on trial for terror offences for her suspected part in the bombing, was a follower of the “ideology of Navalny” and said her lawyer had ties to the Navalny organisation.
The statement further alleged that a Ukrainian national, Yuriy Denisov, had given material support to Mrs Trepova to allow her to carry out the attack that injured 50 people in addition to killing Mr Fomin.
Human rights lawyer Anastasia Burakova said the St Petersburg bombing was being exploited to crush internal dissent, and the Navalny organisation remained a prime target due to its broad appeal.
“Darya is a hostage – the FSB can push her to any confession,” she told i. “The Kremlin tries to discredit opposition organisations which still have an audience inside Russia.
“[The Navalny organisation] still has a huge audience inside the country, including a network of people who participate in their platform and watch YouTube channels.”
Political analysts had previously warned that the bombing could be used by the Kremlin to escalate repression of domestic opponents and anti-war protesters.
For Russia’s beleaguered opposition activists, there may be worse to come.
