Russia - Missing Navalny reports from prison camp in polar region
The Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who has been missing for more than two weeks, has been transferred to the remote "Polar Wolf" prison camp in the far north of Russia, far away from the center of power in Moscow. "I'm fine," wrote the 47-year-old in a letter posted on social media on Tuesday. He reported on an arduous 20-day journey to the dark Arctic region of the giant empire. His family and supporters reacted with relief to the first sign of life since the beginning of December.
Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin was trying to reduce his opponent's influence ahead of the presidential election by banishing him. Putin wants to be elected president for the fifth time on March 17, and Navalny has repeatedly attacked him from the prison camp.
Navalny's team announced on Monday that the opposition leader had been found by a lawyer in the IK-3 camp in Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug after a long search. "I didn't expect anyone to find me here before mid-January," Navalny said. He thanked his team of lawyers and supporters who had been looking for him for weeks in various pre-trial detention centers and penal camps.
The Russian authorities had not provided any information on Navalny's whereabouts after he left the previous prison camp in the Vladimir region around 260 kilometers from Moscow at the beginning of December.
The"Polar Wolf" penal camp is notorious
The "Polar Wolf" prison camp, notorious for its harsh prison conditions, is located more than 2,000 kilometers from the capital. The region, which is difficult to access, is known for its permafrost soil.
"The conditions there are brutal," said Navalny's colleague Ivan Zhdanov. It is one of the northernmost and most remote penal camps in the world. It was clear from the outset that Moscow's power apparatus wanted to isolate Putin's opponent.
Navalny, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for alleged extremism, among other things, has repeatedly filed complaints against the prison system for violating his rights. He uses his court appearances not least to criticize Putin's authoritarian system and Moscow's war against Ukraine. Most recently, Navalny was no longer connected to the hearings when the election campaign began.
At the same time, the Kremlin's opponents around Navalny also launched the "Russia without Putin" campaign at the beginning of December, calling on voters to express their protest by voting for other candidates ahead of the presidential election. However, Putin's competitors are considered to have no chance. Many even support the president.
Navalny internationally recognized as a political prisoner
There was also great concern about Navalny because he is in poor health. Navalny, who also survived an assassination attempt using the nerve agent Novichok in 2020, has been in prison for almost three years.
"Although today is also Christmas, the fact that we found Alexei on this day is not a Christmas miracle, but the tremendous and meticulous work of the lawyers of the Anti-Corruption Fund," said Yulia Navalnaya, the opposition figure's wife, on Instagram on Monday. She also posted an older selfie of herself with her husband from happier days.
Navalny was internationally recognized as a political prisoner. The USA, the EU and the German government have repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks and called on the Russian leadership to provide information about Navalny's whereabouts. However, Russia rejected this as interference in its internal affairs. The Kremlin also stated that it could not concern itself with the fate of prisoners in Russia.
Ambitions for the presidency
Navalny himself had repeatedly announced his ambitions to become president. The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, rejected him in the past, saying that he was still young and had everything ahead of him. On Saturday, she used almost exactly the same words to reject the 40-year-old lawyer and former journalist Ekaterina Duntsova during the registration process. Officially, formal errors in the documents for the election commission were also cited this time. The Kremlin critic Duntsova, who is the mother of three children, announced that she would appeal against the decision.
Meanwhile, Pamfilova announced that there were around 30 candidates interested in the presidential election. Among them is the anti-Kremlin politician and anti-war activist Boris Nadezhdin. The pro-Western opposition politician from the liberal Yabloko party, who had already taken part in the election several times and always lost by a landslide, decided not to run again. He said that this was not an election, but a referendum on Putin.
The Kremlin leader had the constitution changed specifically so that he could run again. According to the current version of the constitution, the 71-year-old can run for the last time in 2030. The presidential term of office in Russia is six years.
Kira Jarmysch at X
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- Despite being in a remote "Polar Wolf" prison camp in Russia's polar region, Alexei Navalny continues to criticize Vladimir Putin's authoritarian system and Moscow's war against Ukraine during his court appearances.
- The Russian authorities have moved the missing opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, to the notorious "Polar Wolf" detention center, which is known for its harsh prison conditions and brutal treatment of persons.
- The presidential election in Russia is approaching, and Vladimir Putin is seeking his fifth term as president, while Alexei Navalny, who is currently detained in a penal camp, has openly opposed him.
- The Kremlin's power apparatus tries to isolate Putin's opponent, Alexei Navalny, by sending him to a remote penal camp in the polar region, far away from the center of power in Moscow.
- The Russian authorities have been relocating political prisoners, such as Alexei Navalny, to distant prison camps to reduce their influence and minimize any potential impact on the upcoming presidential election.
- The conditions in the "Polar Wolf" detention center are considered brutal, and the center is one of the northernmost and most remote penal camps in the world, making it difficult for persons to escape or receive support from the outside.
- Various international organizations, including the USA, the EU, and the German government, have recognized Alexei Navalny as a political prisoner and voiced concerns about his health and treatment in the "Polar Wolf" penal camp in Russia's polar region.
Source: www.stern.de
