Germany Concerned About Navalny's Health Complaints From Jail - Foreign Ministry

Germany is worried about Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny's reportedly deteriorating health in the detention facility outside Moscow, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said on Wednesday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2021) Germany is worried about Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny's reportedly deteriorating health in the detention facility outside Moscow, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said on Wednesday

On March 31, Navalny, who is serving a prison term on charges of financial misconduct, went on a hunger strike, demanding that the prison administration give him access to proper medical treatment. The opposition figure has complained about pain in his back and legs.

"Reports of Navalny's deteriorating health prompt great concern in the German government. Navalny was poisoned in Russia with a chemical weapon seven months ago, and now he is illegally in contradiction with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR] placed in a penal colony," Burger told reporters when asked about Navalny.

The spokesman reiterated Germany's call for Navalny to be released.

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 an alleged poisoning. The 44-year-old was arrested on arrival and referred to a court, which in early February rescinded his suspended sentence in the 2014 Yves Rocher fraud case over multiple probation breaches and replaced it with a 3.5-year term behind bars.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.