The Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, imprisoned and on hunger strike for three weeks, is “in serious danger” and must be able to be evacuated abroad, demanded Wednesday four human rights experts mandated by the UN.
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“We urge the Russian authorities to ensure that Mr. Navalny has access to his own doctors and to allow him to be evacuated abroad for urgent medical treatment, as they did in August 2020. We reaffirm that the Russian government is responsible for the life and health of Mr. Navalny during his detention, ”they write in a statement.
“We believe that the life of Mr. Navalny is in serious danger,” say these independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on his behalf.
According to his relatives, Mr. Navalny, who stopped eating on March 31 to protest against his conditions of detention, is dying. The West is demanding his release and the truth about his poisoning in August 2020 and in which the special services would be involved.
“We are deeply disturbed by the fact that Mr. Navalny is kept in conditions which could amount to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, underline the four experts, who are the Special Rapporteurs on the freedom of opinion and expression, on torture, on summary or arbitrary executions and on the right to physical and mental health.
“The apparent violations of the prohibition of torture or other ill-treatment, of his right to a lawyer and, in particular, of his right to prompt and effective medical care while in detention only increase our concerns already. deep concerning the life and the safety of Mr. Navalny ”, they continue.
They believe that Mr. Navalny has for several years been the subject of “a deliberate pattern of retaliation” because of his criticism of the Russian government.
“As we have already noted, in light of the judgments and interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights, there is no valid legal basis for the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Mr. . Navalny in Pokrov ”, they assure.
The four experts say they have expressed their concerns to the Russian government, including through two official letters sent in August and December 2020, in which they expressed their concerns about the Novichok poisoning of Mr. Navalny.