Navalny continues to disappear: the Russian court suspends the trial

“The judge simply abandoned the duty to dispense justice instead of ensuring the plaintiff’s appearance,” Navalny’s lawyers said. “Alexie should have had seven court hearings today,” his spokeswoman Kira Garmish said Monday. There is great concern for the 47-year-old man because he is in poor health.

Navalny, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for, among other things, alleged extremism, has repeatedly filed lawsuits against the prison system for violating his rights. Since the beginning of December, there has been no trace of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most powerful opponents.

Lawyers accuse the criminal justice system of lying

Prison staff again simply told the court that Navalny was no longer at the IK-6 concentration camp, about 260 kilometers east of Moscow in the Vladimir region. However, there is no further information about his whereabouts. Navalny’s lawyers also accused the prison system of lying because staff recently stated that the politician would not be in touch with court proceedings via video for technical reasons.

When the judge asked why Navalny was transferred from the camp, representatives of the prison system replied: “To serve his sentence.” “Over the weekend, lawyers conducted investigations in more than 200 detention centers. We are waiting for answers,” said Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s aide.

Narrator: I haven’t seen you since December 6th

Navalny’s exiled spokeswoman Garmysh announced on Friday on Twitter that the Kremlin critic had “left the Vladimir region” where he was imprisoned. “It’s not clear exactly where.”

Garmisch said Navalny’s lawyers had not seen the opposition figure since December 6. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that a court announced that Navalny had left his penal colony under a ruling that took effect in the summer. Navalny’s arrival at his new penal colony will be announced within the framework of established laws.

Kremlin opponents around Navalny also started the “Russia Without Putin” campaign at the beginning of December, in which they called on voters ahead of the presidential election on March 17 to express their protest by voting for other candidates. Putin is participating in the vote for the fifth time, and he considers that potential rivals have no chance.

The United States and France are concerned

Navalny, who also survived an assassination attempt with the Novichok nerve agent in 2020, has been imprisoned for nearly three years. He was internationally recognized as a political prisoner. Last week, the US government expressed “deep concern” about Navalny’s condition and called for the Kremlin critic’s “immediate” release.

The Kremlin then criticized Washington for its “interference” in the case. The French government also expressed concern on Friday and said Russia was responsible for the health of its prisoners.