The prison service in the Yamalo-Nenets region has reported the death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition leader. Navalny, 47, had been serving a 30-year prison sentence since December, making him a symbol of dissent against President Vladimir Putin.
According to the official statement, despite attempts at resuscitation, Navalny’s death was confirmed by emergency doctors. The specific causes of his death are currently under investigation.
The statement only mentions that he “felt unwell after a walk.” However, Navalny’s associates have consistently criticized the oppressive conditions within the prison, expressing concerns that it may have contributed to his demise.
In December, Navalny was briefly unaccounted for, and Russian authorities later revealed his transfer to a prison in the Yamalia-Nenetsia Autonomous District, one of the northernmost points of Russia.
The United States and the European Union had previously called for his immediate release, citing concerns that he should never have been imprisoned.
In August 2020, Navalny was poisoned with novichok, a chemical weapon, allegedly mixed with tea. After recovering from an induced coma in a Berlin clinic, he was arrested upon his return to Moscow and subsequently imprisoned.
During his incarceration, Navalny went on a 23-day hunger strike.