MOSCOW: Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked down to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman said on Monday (Dec 25), after supporters lost touch with him for more than two weeks.
Navalny was tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900km northeast of Moscow, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said.
Navalny’s lawyer managed to see him on Monday, Yarmysh added.
“Alexei is alright,” she said.
Navalny’s allies, who had been preparing for his expected transfer to a “special regime” colony, the harshest grade in Russia’s prison system, said he had not been seen by his lawyers since Dec 6 and raised the alarm about his fate.
“Many thanks to our supporters, activists, journalists and the media who are concerned about Alexei’s fate and who do not get tired of writing about the situation,” Navalny lawyer Ivan Zhdanov said.
Navalny’s new home, known as the “Polar Wolf” colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh – and temperatures are due to drop to around -28 degrees Celsius there over the next week.
About 60km north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labour camps, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.
“The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost,” said Leonid Volkov, an aide to Navalny. He said it was difficult to communicate with prisoners held at the remote site.
Source: CNA
