Navalny transferred out of the prison’s sick ward, reports threats of force-feeding

Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who is currently on hunger strike in Pokrov’s Penal Colony No. 2, has been transferred out of the prison’s sick ward and returned to the general population. 

“Seeing the seriousness of the hunger strike, the [prison] administration threatens to start force-feeding every day. At the same time, Navalny was transferred back to his unit from the medical ward. The doctor isn’t allowed in to see him,” says a post uploaded to Navalny’s Twitter on Monday, April 12.

According to another tweet, Navalny has lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds) since arriving at the penal colony in mid-March — he now weighs 77 kilograms (about 170 pounds). 

Alexey Navalny went on hunger strike on March 31, demanding access to a trusted medical doctor. He had been complaining about untreated pain in his back and legs for several weeks. Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) maintains that Navalny has received all necessary medical treatment.

On April 5, Navalny reported that he had developed a fever and a “bad cough,” adding that three of the inmates in his unit had been hospitalized with tuberculosis. That same day, the FSIN reported that Navalny had been moved to the prison’s medical ward due to signs of a respiratory illness. Navalny has tested negative for COVID-19.

On April 7, Navalny’s lawyers reported that prison doctors had diagnosed him with two herniated discs.