Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalni is suffering from severe stomach pains which could be due to a slow-acting poison. “His situation is critical, we are all very worried,” Navalni’s close associate Ruslan Shaveddinov told The Guardian.
Navalni is serving a sentence of more than 11 years on charges of fraud and contempt of court. Human rights groups say the allegations were fabricated to silence the opposition leader. Navalni is being held in the IK-6 maximum security penal colony in Melekhovo, about 250 kilometers east of Moscow.
An ambulance was reportedly sent to the prison last week. “The situation must have been very bad then,” says Shaveddinov. Navalni has so far been denied hospitalization.
Petition
There have been concerns about Navalni’s health for some time. In a rare petition, a group of Russian lawmakers and doctors, citing their full names, have called for better medical treatment for Navalni.
Navalni’s team believes he is slowly being poisoned. “He is killed slowly with the help of a slow-acting poison that is administered through food,” Shaveddinov told the British newspaper. “He It may sound like paranoia, but after the previous poisoning it seems perfectly plausible. He’s lost eight kilos in two weeks, it’s never happened to him before and the doctors don’t tell him why he’s in so much pain.’ Navalni was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent in 2020 during a trip to Siberia.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
