Critic of the arrested Kremlin Alexey Navalny he is in great pain, his lawyer said on Thursday after visiting him in prison, adding that the allies feared for his life.
“He is suffering from severe pain in his back and in his right leg,” lawyer Olga Mikhailova said in statements to Dozhd television. “Everyone fears for their life and health.”
Earlier this month, Navalny was transferred to a prison about 145 kilometers from Moscow and placed in an isolation cell, his lawyer Vadim Kobzev told CBS News.
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Navalny was arrested on 17 January immediately after his return from Germany to Moscow, where he spent five months recovering from poisoning with a Soviet-era nerve agent. His arrest sparked weeks of mass protests, with thousands of protesters on the streets of Russian cities, including the capital, where large crowds had gathered in front of the detention center where he was held until last week.
Thousands of people were arrested amid violent clashes with riot police.
Navalny was sentenced to two and a half years in prison last month for violating the terms of a previous suspended sentence. He has always dismissed all charges against him as politically motivated.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that it was imposition of sanctions on seven senior Russian government officials in response to Navalny’s poisoning and detention.
Alexandra Odynova contributed to this report.