First published on April 16, 2021 / 10:36 AM Prison officials said he was tested for tuberculosis and the coronavirus, but that both tests came back negative.
Trending News
Trending News
More
Actress Helen McCrory dies at 52
How to watch Prince Philip’s funeral
Prince Philip’s apology letter to Richard Nixon revealed
Royal Family reveals guest list for Prince Philip’s funeral
Biden retains Trump’s historic-low refugee cap, angering allies
The politician and his supporters insist that all the allegations against him are politically motivated and that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning attack, allegations that have been denied by Russian officials. His family and associates fear that the deterioration in his health is connected to the last year’s poisoning. Hunger-striking Russian opposition leader Navalny says prison officials threatening to force-feed him
By Alexandra Odynova
April 16, 2021 / 10:36 AM
/ CBS News
Putin critic Navalny ill amid hunger strike
Putin critic Navalny ill amid hunger strike
01:40
Moscow — Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who’s been on hunger strike for more than two weeks, said on Friday that prison officials had threatened to force-feed him. According to Navalny, he was warned that the process of force-feeding involved the use of a strait jacket. “This morning, a woman colonel stood over me and she said: Your blood test indicates a serious deterioration in health and risk,” Navalny, 44, said in an Instagram post made on his behalf by his team. “If you do not give up on your hunger strike, then we are ready to move on to force-feeding,” the post quoted the prison official as saying. The prison service wasn’t immediately available for comment.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Алексей Навальный (@navalny)
Navalny was sentenced earlier this year to two and a half years in prison for violating the terms of a previous suspended sentence. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, visited him in prison earlier this week and said he was physically weak but still upbeat. “I have never seen skin wrapped around a skull like that, but I know that he is not going to give up,” she said in social media posts after her visit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Юлия Навальная (@yulia_navalnaya)
Navalny has been moved back to his cell from the prison infirmary, where he was sent last week with a fever and severe cough. He has lost at least 33 pounds since he arrived at the facility last month, according to his allies. Last month the fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin announced that he would stop eating to demand proper medical care after complaining of back pain and numbness in his legs. He was arrested in January soon after his return to Moscow from Berlin, where he spent five months recovering from severe poisoning with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.
Navalny has been demanding access to a doctor of his choice for weeks.
