Russia: Jailed Opposition Leader Navalny Dies In Prison

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is dead, the prison service of the region where he had been serving his sentence says.

Navalny, an outspoken critic of President Putin, has been in Russian jail since 2021 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.

Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has said she doesn’t know whether the “horrible news” is true.

Navalny’s Spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh said his team had yet to receive confirmation of the death but his lawyer was travelling to Siberia.

Putin’s Spokesman said Russian’s penitentiary service was looking into Navalny’s death but provided no further information.

In August, Navalny was found guilty of founding and funding an extremist organisation, which he denies, and was given an extra 19 years in jail.

He had already been sentenced to nine years for parole violations, fraud and contempt of court.

BBC