Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Dies in Prison Under Mysterious Circumstances

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is dead, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence, International media reported on Friday.

In a statement published on its website, the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District said that Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday, and “almost immediately lost consciousness”.
It said that medical staff had been called, but that they were unable to resuscitate Navalny. It said the reason of death was being established.

Navalny, 47, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most visible and persistent critics, was being held in a jail about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a “special regime”.

The Kremlin said it had no information on the cause of death.