Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, seen here in 2017, has died, per a statement from the Federal Prison Service. Credit – AP
Jailed Russian opposition leader and President Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, 47, has died in prison, the Office of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia said in a statement on Friday, per reports by multiple news outlets.
“On Feb. 16, 2024, in correctional colony No 3, convict A A Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” Sky News’ English translation of the Russian statement read.
“The institution’s medical workers immediately arrived and an emergency medical team was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but they did not yield positive results. Emergency medical doctors confirmed the death of the convict.”
TIME has reached out to the Russian government for further information.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Navalny’s chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said that his team had no way to confirm whether the reports from federal prison officials were true. Volkov added that Navalny’s lawyer is on the way to Harp [Kharp, a town in Russia] to investigate.
Navalny previously survived what he said was an attempt on his life from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Russian government. Russia, at the time, denied he was poisoned.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
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