The United States (US) has warned Russia that it will face severe consequences if Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny dies in state custody. White House National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan made the remarks on Sunday in an interview with CNN and said that the Biden administration had reminded Russia that Navalny’s well-being was its responsibility, and cautioned that it would be held accountable by the international community if he loses his life during his imprisonment. Sullivan, however, did not elaborate on specific actions the US may take in such a scenario.
The warning comes amid increasing reports about the opposition leader’s deteriorating health amid an ongoing hunger strike, which he began on March 31. The move was an attempt to pressure prison authorities to grant him access to proper medical care for severe pain in his back and legs. Navalny alleged that instead of medical assistance, he was being tortured with sleep deprivation. Over the past few weeks, his aides have said that he has two herniated disks in his back, has started to lose sensation in his hands, and is now at the risk of kidney failure, which could be fatal.
Alexandra Zakharova, a representative of the Doctors Alliance trade union, told Reuters over the weekend that his condition was becoming extremely dire. “We have seen the tests, and they are very, very bad,” she said, adding: “His potassium is high, and he has other high readings which indicate that his kidneys may soon fail. This would lead to severe pathology and cardiac arrest may occur.”
On Sunday, in a YouTube video on his channel, Navalny’s deputies called for nationwide protests on Wednesday, arguing that it was the only way to save the leader. “Have you ever seen with your own eyes how a person is murdered? You’re seeing it right now,” Leonid Volkov said. He added: “If we don’t speak up now, the darkest times for free people are at hand. Russia will descend into total hopelessness.”
Navalny has been in detention since January, following his return from Germany after recovering from an allegedly state-authorized assassination attempt. The leader is currently serving a 2.5-year prison term officially over multiple violations of a 2014 suspended sentence for fraud charges. Though the international community has decried Navalny’s arrest and treatment as politically motivated, Moscow has dismissed all accusations and insisted that its actions are consistent with Russian law. Nevertheless, it has been subjected to condemnations from across the Western world, and US President Joe Biden on Saturday said that the situation was “totally unfair” and “inappropriate.”
Despite these declarations, however, Navalny did not feature in bilateral talks between Biden and Russian premier Vladimir Putin last week, or in Biden’s remarks about sanctions on Russia. When quizzed about the omission, Sullivan said that the administration had determined that the best way to handle the issue was privately and “through diplomatic channels direct to the upper-most levels of the Russian government.”
US Says There Will Be Consequences for Russia if Kremlin Critic Navalny Dies in Prison
Navalny’s aides have said that he has two herniated disks in his back, has started to lose sensation in his hands, and is now at the risk of kidney failure, which could be fatal.
April 19, 2021
SOURCE: MOSCOW CITY COURT PRESS OFFICE/TASS/GETTY IMAGES via CNBC