New criminal proceedings for Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader in Russia, have been halted by judges. Concerns have been raised by his supporters and a UN official, who have described his absence as a “forced disappearance”.
Seven judicial hearings were suspended until Navalny’s whereabouts are determined, amid fears that he may be silenced or harmed as Vladimir Putin plans to extend his presidency.
Navalny, sentenced to almost 30 years in prison, vanished from a facility near Moscow and is suspected to have been transferred to a strict prison colony where he could be held incommunicado for years.
His lawyers have been unable to locate him despite sending requests to numerous pre-trial detention centers. The Kremlin has not provided any information on Navalny’s location, and his supporters are worried that he may have been hospitalized following his collapse earlier this month.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia expressed concern about Navalny’s prolonged absence and lack of information. Navalny’s disappearance coincides with Putin launching his campaign for a fifth term as president, and his supporters have initiated an anti-Putin guerrilla campaign. Navalny, who was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, returned to Russia in 2021 and was subsequently arrested, convicted, and given a lengthy prison sentence. His supporters believe he will remain imprisoned as long as Putin holds power.
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