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Russian opposition political Alexei Navalny, the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), wrote on Tuesday that he had been once again sent to a punishment cell due to a prison officer’s complaint:
“I'm back in the SHIZO. For 12 days. The reason this time is the report of the prison ensign, in which he very mysteriously wrote: ‘When taking convicted Navalny out of the cell to get a mattress, he humiliated my dignity, saying that I am an i...t, j…s and d…l’.”
This marks Navalny's 21st spell in the punishment cell (SHIZO).
Prior to Navalny’s post, ACF Director Ivan Zhdanov reported that Navalny did not appear at a court hearing in his own lawsuit:
“Alexei Navalny had his writing materials confiscated, leading to his refusal to attend the trial and investigative procedures. Law enforcement officers in helmets forcibly entered his cell and dragged him to the investigator.”
On October 19, Navalny called on the legal community to speak out in support of his lawyers Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser and Igor Sergunin, who were arrested on charges of taking part in an “extremist group.”
Earlier reports confirmed that the three arrested lawyers were transferred from the Moscow pre-trial detention center “Medved'” (lit. “Bear”) to a special block within Federal Pre-trial Detention Center-1 (“Matrosskaya Tishina,” lit. “Seaman’s Silence”), colloquially known as “Kremlin Central.”
The “Kremlin Central” differs from other pre-trial detention centers in the stricter treatment of inmates and strong censorship.