Council Of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner Calls For Navalny's Release

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published April 19, 2021 | 06:58 PM

Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on Monday reiterated her call for the release of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny from prison and providing him full access to medical assistance

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th April, 2021) Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic on Monday reiterated her call for the release of Russian opposition activist Alexey Navalny from prison and providing him full access to medical assistance.

The remark comes as a medical panel has made a decision to transfer Navalny from the prison in Vladimir region, where he is serving his sentence on financial misconduct charges, to a local hospital for convicts.

"I reiterate my call to release AlexeiNavalny & urge Russian authorities to immediately give him full access to medical care in light of his serious health deterioration. ECHR found his conviction arbitrary & unreasonable. Navalny should be released," Mijatovic wrote on Twitter.

On Monday, the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) opened in Strasbourg with a mix of face-to-face and virtual participation. On Thursday, lawmakers will discuss the issue of the high-profile inmate.

Navalny, who has been complaining about severe back and leg pain, went on a hunger strike at the end of March, after being denied a visit by a doctor of his own choice. Olga Mikhailova, his lawyer, says the 44-year-old is suffering from two spinal hernias. He has refused the treatment offered by the prison authorities.

According to the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Navalny's health has been assessed as stable and satisfactory by medical professionals and he has been receiving all necessary care.

In January, Navalny returned to Moscow from Berlin after receiving medical treatment for his alleged poisoning. The opposition activist was arrested immediately on arrival and referred to a court, which in early February rescinded his suspended sentence in the 2014 Yves Rocher fraud case over multiple probation breaches and replaced it with a 3.5-year term behind bars. A Moscow city court reinstated the ruling but reduced the sentence to 2.5 years.