Alexei Navalny's death: When Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic flagged his 'freezing' Arctic prison
Alexei Navalny, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's harshest critics, has died in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. His death was announced by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, which said Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness in the penal colony. The prison, famous for its long, harsh winters, is located in the town of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets region, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Navalny, convicted of extremism, was transferred here in December. On January 10, Navalny appeared for the first time via video link from Kharp. Russian media publish images of him in a black prison suit and with crew-cut hair. “(The rules) say I'm allowed to have 10 books. I need 2 books to practice my religion. “One book is not enough for me, it directly violates my religious rights.” And she added: “I want to have 10 books in my cell. “I need them for education, I need them for religious practice.”
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