The imprisoned Russian opponent Aleksei Navalnyof which those close to him said not have news for almost three weeks, is in a prison colony in Jarp, in the Russian Arctic, his spokesperson indicated this Monday. “We have found Navalni. He is in prison colony number 3 in the town of Jarp,” he stated. Kira Yarmish on the X network, and added that the opponent “is doing well” and that his lawyer visited him this Monday.
Jarp, a small town in 5,000 inhabitantsis located in Yamalia-Nenetsia, a remote region of northern Russia. It is located beyond the Arctic Circle and is home to several penal colonies. Navalny, anti-corruption activist sworn enemy of President Vladimir Putin, is serving a sentence of 19 years in prison for “extremism.” His family and collaborators had not heard from him since beginning of decemberwhich meant that it had probably been transferred from the colony in the Vladimir region, to 250 kilometers from Moscowwhere he was detained until now.
Guilty of “extremism”
According to the verdict for “extremism” pronounced against him, the opponent has to serve his sentence in a “special regime” colony, the category where the detention conditions are harsher and which is normally intended for those sentenced to prison. life sentence or the most dangerous inmates.
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“From the beginning, it was clear that the authorities wanted to isolate Aleksei, especially before the presidential election” scheduled for March 2024, Ivan Khdanov, one of his closest collaborators, reacted in X.
Transfers from one center or another in Russia may take several weeks train travel, in stages. And the environment of the detainees is not informed during that period. This lack of news about Navalni raised concern in several Western countries and the UN.