(Washington) The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken said on Saturday he was “deeply concerned” about the lack of information regarding the location of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, whose relatives have not heard from him since the beginning of December.
“We are deeply concerned about not knowing the whereabouts of Alexeï Navalny, who has been missing within the Russian prison system for almost three weeks,” the US Secretary of State said on X.
“We once again call for his immediate release and an end to the relentless repression of independent voices in Russia,” he added.
Supporters of the opponent, imprisoned at the beginning of 2021 after surviving an assassination attempt by poisoning which he blames on the Kremlin, have not heard from him since the beginning of the month.
They fear his transfer to another prison with a stricter regime, a procedure which often takes weeks in Russia, a huge territory meshed with penitentiary establishments inherited from the Soviet era and many of which are located in reclusive regions of the country.
“Alexei should have an audience now. He did not show up again,” lamented Thursday Kira Iarmich, the exiled spokesperson for the anti-corruption activist. “It’s been 16 days since we had any information on Alexei,” she lamented about the opponent who is currently serving a 19-year sentence for “extremism”.
On December 11, the White House said it was “very concerned” by the lack of news regarding Alexei Navalny, and several NGOs and foreign officials have also since reacted.
On Monday, Mariana Katzarova, United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia, expressed alarm at the “enforced disappearance” of the leading figure of the Russian opposition.