Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been assigned to the same unit as murder convicts in a high-security prison he was transferred to, the politician said on Twitter.
“Who are my fellow prisoners? I get asked that a lot. I'm a part of a small group (called a "unit" here) of convicts in an area completely isolated from the rest of the colony. A prison within a prison with an insane and unbearable regime,” he wrote.
“But the convicts are nice. They are calm and friendly. When I came in, I immediately thought they were murderers. And I was right. Almost all of them are murderers. Their sentences are huge. Here my 9 years is the shortest sentence, and I'm like a pre-schooler. The average term here is 13-15 years. Some got 19 or 20. These are double murderers,” Navalny continued.
Navalny noted that its “easier to do time with people who have long sentences.” “There's less fuss, less petty conflicts. Although, of course, they are very, very dependent on the administration,” he added.
“Each one has his personal drama, a tragedy with a victim. A fate shattered because of passions or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's all very interesting. And very scary too,” the politician said.
On 21 June, Navalny stated that he had received his first disciplinary warning at the high-security prison he was transferred to on 14 June. If he receives two warnings in a row, he will be sent to a punitive isolation unit (with conditions similar to solitary confinement), the politician noted.
On 22 March, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to nine years in a high-security prison and a fine of 1.2 million rubles (€20,000) for fraud and contempt of court. Navalny’s appeal was rejected by the Moscow City Court.
In late May, the politician said that he had been charged with establishing an extremist organisation. If convicted, he faces an additional 15 years behind bars.
