“Unusual Celebration”
Kremlin prepares Navalny bleak New Year’s Eve
1/9/2023 6:51 p.m
Because Navalny washed his face a few minutes too early, he was transferred to stricter detention on December 31, for days. With bitter irony, the Kremlin critic describes his bleak New Year’s Eve celebrations. His lawyer, on the other hand, raises the alarm. His client is now seriously ill.
The Russian Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has been imprisoned for almost two years, says he spent New Year’s Eve in a punishment cell. On December 31, the prison administration decided to transfer him to the punishment cell for 15 days for violating the rules, Navalny wrote in a message to his lawyers, which his team published on Instagram. He was accused of washing earlier than prescribed in the morning.
“So my plans for a fancy New Year were ruined,” Navalny wrote wryly, adding that he had saved a bag of potato chips and a can of fish for the occasion. According to the Kremlin critic, he spent New Year’s Eve with two other prisoners, one of whom was “psychotic” and “screamed”, the other, a homeless man, was sad. However, the “celebration” ended prematurely: For the first time since childhood, he slept through the New Year – because the regulations stipulate bed rest from 9 p.m. “Overall I’m happy,” he added. “Other people pay money to celebrate New Year’s Eve in some unusual way – and I got that for free.”
“No supply of medication”
The opposition politician was arrested in January 2021. He had previously flown back to Russia from Germany, where he had recovered from a poison attack. Navalny was later sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud. He denies the allegations. In October last year, he announced that new charges would be brought against him, which could carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
Navalny’s lawyer Vadim Kobsev was less humorous. He tweeted that his client was ill and was suffering from a fever, chills and a cough. So far, it has not been possible to provide him with medication. Navalny’s supporters are convinced that the reasons the 46-year-old is kept in prison are only used to break his will.