For weeks there was no sign of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. It has now become known that Putin’s opponent has been transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic. Conditions there are considered particularly harsh.
Lawyer Navalny is considered rebellious and will stop at nothing. Even in prison he continues to rebel. Now the Kremlin appears to have resorted to a particularly harsh punishment: the 47-year-old was transferred to a completely remote area.
In Russia, transfers from one penal colony to another often take several weeks and require strenuous train journeys punctuated by multiple stops. The concerned family members of the prisoners will not receive any information about their whereabouts during this period.
Lawyer was already on site
Navalny is now in penal colony number three (IK-3) in the town of Charp in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the far north of Russia, his spokeswoman Kira Jarmisch said on Monday on X. He is doing well, his lawyer said on Monday he visited him.
The remote town of Charp with approximately 5,000 inhabitants is located north of the Arctic Circle. There are several penal colonies there which, as you can imagine, are anything but comfortable.
Even letters cannot be delivered there
Navalny’s colleague Ivan Zhdanov further described IK-3 is one of the northernmost and most remote penal colonies of all.
“The conditions there are very tough,” Zhdanov wrote. Because that is where the permafrost zone is located. It’s very difficult to get there. Not even letters could be delivered.
To the background
Anti-corruption activist Navalny is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence. Family members and fellow activists had not heard from him since early December. A transfer from his previous place of detention, about 250 kilometers from Moscow, was considered likely.
Under the verdict handed down against him this summer, Navalny must serve his sentence in a colony with harsher prison conditions. These are generally only intended for life sentences and particularly dangerous prisoners.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
