According to his own statements, Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in a Russian prison camp, founded a “one-man union”. His fellow inmates fear the consequences: “Every time I talk about it, my killer buddies say sadly, ‘Alexej, please stop it. Because of you, they will never release us all.'”
“Hello, this is Navalny speaking – leader and founder of the union of citizens working in the working area of the prison system,” the 46-year-old said on Twitter on Thursday. About 600,000 people are currently being exploited in Russian prisons, he explains.
If necessary, he also gladly takes care of the guards’ worries: “There are no differences between us in terms of employment law,” he says. The camp administration initially thought his formally requested undertaking was a joke and then declared it “illegal”.
Opponents of the Kremlin are still looking for comrades in arms
However, Navalny cannot find any comrades in arms and his fellow inmates fear the consequences. He founded a “one-man union” and already achieved a number of “victories”. For example, the stools in his sewing workshop, which were much too low, were replaced by real chairs with armrests, he reports.
Narrator: “Alexej is incredibly cool”
“Alexej is incredibly cool,” Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Jarmysch praised for her commitment to the rights of fellow inmates. Russia’s best-known opposition figure is internationally regarded as a political prisoner. In May this year, a court upheld the nine-year prison term for alleged fraud (see video above).
Navalny used to encourage other people to form unions, said the opposition politician, who barely survived a poison attack about two years ago and was arrested a few months later during international protests. So he must do it too – “even if it is the most dangerous place for it, where strikes, disobedience and gatherings are expressly forbidden”. For example, you risk torture for a strike.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
