Naval'nyj in prison hospital. Demonstrations in his defense tomorrow

On hunger strike and sick, his friends fear for his health. The doctors of the concentration camp affirm that his conditions are "satisfactory". The demonstrations of the "navalnists" in many Russian cities will coincide with Putin's speech to the nation. Warnings from US and European diplomatic chancelleries. The fast of dozens of Naval’ny supporters. A letter to Pope Francis from the Russians in Italy.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Fight Against Corruption Fund - the movement of supporters of Alexei Navalnyj - has announced that tomorrow April 21, at 7 pm, the demonstration in defence of the imprisoned leader will be held in various cities, starting from central squares of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

So far, they have reached just over 400,000 subscriptions via the internet (the target is half a million), but the decision for tomorrow is motivated by the coincidence with the "speech to the nation" planned by Vladimir Putin, which the "navalnists" hope to "overwhelm” from a media point of view.

The staff of the blogger's collaborators informs that they will soon begin to process all the members arrested in recent weeks, with the risk that the entire movement will be declared "extremist" and completely outlawed.

The other reason for hastening the mobilization is the precarious health condition of Navalnyj himself, which deteriorates to the point of being transferred to the regional hospital for prisoners, a place where "even the dying try not to finish", as is he uses to say in the lager.

His lawyers have managed to see him in recent days. They say that the politician "struggles to stand on his legs, and moves swaying". His personal doctors have long asked to enter the IK-2 colony of Pokrov, but the camp administration refused, as reported via Twitter by the director of the Alliance of Doctors association, Anastasia Vasileva.

According to the doctors, "Naval'nyj must be placed under observation in the intensive care unit, as a fatal arrhythmia could develop at any time, and death from cardiac arrest". Instead, the medical commission of the concentration camp defines his conditions as "satisfactory", but suggests force-feeding to break the fast, now in its third week.

Appeals in favour of Naval'nyj's release are multiplying from around the world. On April 18, the collaborator of the US president for national security, Jake Sullivan, declared that "if Navalnyy dies in prison, there will be serious consequences for Russia".

In various newspapers, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and others, many interventions have appeared that insist on the responsibility of the Russian government for the fate of the opponent. The chairman of the Russian commission against foreign interference, Vasily Piskarev, said he was "surprised by the attention of the Americans for a common prisoner". The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, in his turn declared "that he cannot believe all the allegations about the critical condition of Navalnyj".

Yesterday the situation of Naval'nyj was the subject of discussion among the foreign ministers of the EU countries. Various representatives of Europe have requested his release. These included the head of EU diplomacy, Joseph Borrel; the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the German Heiko Maas, and also the British Foreign Ministry.

The Russians living in Germany have appealed to Angela Merkel, considered "one of the few people in the world who can have any chance of saving Alexei".

Russian scientist Nikolai Formozov, biologist and professor emeritus of the Moscow State University (MGU) and the Higher School of Economics, has initiated a protest fast to support Navalnyj. He was immediately joined by dozens of other public personalities and ordinary citizens.

The “Solidarity Fast” group was born on Facebook, which anyone can join. Formozov said that people from various cities and countries, "from Vladivostok to Vienna", decided to participate in the protest, including the writer Viktor Shenderovič and the journalist Sergej Parkhomenko.

In Italy, a group of Russians in the country, "Russian Catholics and Orthodox, operators of science and culture and simply not indifferent people", sent a letter to Pope Francis in Rome on April 18, stating that "they cannot remain silent witnesses of a murder ". According to the signatories (already more than 2500 in a few hours), "Alexei Navalny is a man of faith and honor, who has devoted his life to what he believes in: denouncing the corruption and misdeeds of Russian power. current". He assures himself that "it is not a question of politics, but of the salvation of a single life: it is a question of mercy. Holy Father, please help convince the Russian authorities to have Alexei see the doctors, and give him one last chance to save his life! ".

In the photo: a demonstration in support of Naval'nyj with a sign reading: "" Putinism and Fascism are synonymous! "