Private Doctors Calling to Navalny: Stop the Hunger Strike | abroad

In a phone call, the doctors, including cardiologist, 44-year-old Navalny, demanded that he finish his work as quickly as possible “to preserve your life and your health.”

On Wednesday, in dozens of Russian cities, there were banned demonstrations by supporters of Navalny to express their support for President Putin’s well-known opponent. The police are said to have arrested at least 1,500 people, including journalists.

Russian authorities have arrested key employees of opposition leader Alexei Navalny ahead of planned protests on Wednesday. According to those involved, they include spokeswoman Kira Yarmish and lawyer Lyubov Sobol.

According to the watchdog group OVD-Info, police raided and arrested activists in at least 20 cities. Officers searched Navalny’s offices in Saint Petersburg, the country’s second city, among other places. Officers have reportedly pulled attorney Sobol from a taxi. A spokeswoman for Yarmash reported on Twitter about her arrest.

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Police have warned that the protests planned for Wednesday are also illegal. Navalny’s supporters also took to the streets in large numbers in January and February, then to protest his arrest. This resulted in more than 10,000 people being arrested at that time.

Prosecution

Navalny is in prison for failing to comply with the terms of a suspended sentence. It was imposed on him for embezzlement, a permit believed to be politically motivated. At first, he did not have to go to prison, but he had to report regularly to the authorities.

The latter was no longer possible last year. At that time, he had been poisoned by a neurotoxin in his country and had recovered for several months in Germany. And the Russian authorities arrested him when he got off the plane in Moscow at the beginning of this year. In addition to the street protests, this also led to a lot of international criticism.