A UN human rights expert on Monday was alarmed by the “enforced disappearance” of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny and demanded that Moscow release him immediately.
“I am deeply concerned that the Russian authorities are not disclosing Navalny’s whereabouts and health status for such a long period, which amounts to an enforced disappearance,” said Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Russia.in a statement cited by international bodies.
In the same information note, Katzarova stated that she had already expressed her concerns to the Russian authorities.
According to AFP, the Russian opponent could be transferred to another prison with a stricter regime, a procedure that often takes weeks in Russia, a country with a vast territory in which several Soviet-era prisons are located in difficult-to-reach prisons. access to regions.
The UN expert said she believes the accusations of extremism attributed to Navalny are “unfounded” and stressed that prisoners are at risk of serious violations of their rights while being transported from one prison to another.
“Navalny and all others arbitrarily detained must be released immediately”
The independent expert, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but not speaking on behalf of the UN, emphasized that “the term ‘extremism’ has no basis in international law.”
“If this leads to prosecution, it constitutes a violation of human rights,” added the rapporteur, who criticized “the relentless criminal prosecution of Navalny.”
“Navalny and all others arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and given remedies and reparations for all damages suffered,” Mariana Katzarova said.
Supporters of Navalny, who was arrested in 2021 after surviving an assassination attempt by poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin (Russian presidency), warned of the opponent’s disappearance early this month, when he was last seen.
Navalny’s lawyers have been unable to contact the opponent since December 6 and have received no information about his health or whereabouts.
Today, Kira Iarmich, the exiled spokesperson for the Russian activist, indicated that lawyers from Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) have asked questions about the Russian opponent “in more than 200 provisional detention centers” but have not yet received a response.
The court in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow, where Alexei Navalny was being held until the last available information, said today that “two hearings (…) had been postponed” due to the activist’s “inability” to cancel his participation to ensure”. “, reports RIA Novosti news agency.
The opponent was sentenced to 19 years in prison for ‘extremism’, a sentence he must serve in an institution with a ‘special regime’, prison units with more severe conditions and normally reserved for prisoners with life sentences or prisoners considered more severe classified. dangerous.
Source: DN
