To the Russian president

The most complete and updated list of the Western cultural luminaries calling on Putin to grant adequate medical care to Navalny

A growing list of cultural giants in the West, from celebrated writers to Hollywood stars, are joining an open letter addressed to Vladimir Putin, calling on Russia’s president to grant adequate medical care to imprisoned opposition politician Alexey Navalny, whose life could be at risk after weeks of rapidly declining health. The letter first appeared in French at Le Monde and in English at The Economist. Meduza is now publishing the appeal to President Putin, as well, with an updated list of all signatories. We will update this list as it grows.

To President Putin,

As we write, Alexey Navalny is being held in a penal colony that many lawyers and human rights advocates consider to be one of the harshest in Russia. As has been reported worldwide, his health is deteriorating and he is in a critical state and requires urgent medical attention.

Alexey Navalny is exhibiting symptoms of a severe neurological disorder — constant back pain and the loss of sensation in his legs and hands. In addition, he is suffering from a severe cough and fever. As a Russian citizen, he has the lawful right to be examined and treated by a doctor of his choice. Having been denied this right, on March 31, he began a hunger strike in protest.

We call on you, Mr. President, to ensure that Alexey Navalny is immediately given the medical treatment and care that he urgently requires — and is entitled to under Russian law. As someone who has sworn to uphold the law, you have only to do so.

Original signatories:

filmmaker J.J. Abrams

journalist and writer Svetlana Alexievich

novelist Martin Amis

journalist and historian Anne Applebaum

author and satirist Christopher Buckley

filmmaker Ken Burns

author Emmanuel Carrère

historian Christopher Clark

novelist John Maxwell Coetzee

actor Benedict Cumberbatch

actor Alan Cumming

novelist Rachel Cusk

actor David Duchovny

author Louise Erdrich

historian Sir Richard John Evans

chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

historian Niall Ferguson

actor Ralph Fiennes

historian Orlando Figes

author Antonia Fraser

actor and writer Stephen Fry

author Neil Gaiman

literary critic Henry Louis Gates Jr.

poet Louise Glück

scholar Sam Greene

novelist Matt Haig

playwright David Hare

novelist Robert Harris

novelist Daniel Kehlmann

writer Etgar Keret

journalist David Lagercrantz

actor Jude Law

novelist Marc Levy

novelist Ling Ma

author Ben Macintyre

writer Hilary Mantel

novelist Agnès Martin-Lugand

actress Natascha McElhone

actor Ian McKellen

writer Catherine Merridale

novelist Herta Müller

writer Péter Nádas

journalist Sylvia Nasar

actor Bill Nighy

author Suzanne Nossel

novelist Amélie Nothomb

poet Michael Ondaatje

journalist George Packer

novelist Orhan Pamuk

journalist Robert Peston

writer Maria Popova

novelist Richard Powers

author Ellendea Proffer Teasley

actress Vanessa Redgrave

journalist David Remnick

author J. K. Rowling

author Arundhati Roy

novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie

lawyer Philippe Sands

musician Nitin Sawhney

historian Simon Schama

author Samanta Schweblin

historian Simon Sebag Montefiore

novelist Elif Shafak

philosopher Peter Singer

author Ali Smith

author and historian Timothy Snyder

cartoonist Art Spiegelman

actress Juliet Stevenson

playwright Tom Stoppard

writer Patrick Süskind

actress Kristin Scott Thomas

novelist and writer Colm Tóibín

musician Björn Ulvaeus

journalist and author Tim Weiner

author Simon Winchester

novelist John Wray

musician Thom Yorke

New signatories:

filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar

philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah

writer Fernando Aramburu

scholar and writer Reza Aslan

novelist and poet Margaret Atwood

writer Paul Auster

actress Shabana Azmi

actor Alec Baldwin

Nejma Beard (widow of photographer Peter Beard and director of his archive)

anthropologist François Bizot

actress Juliette Binoche

actress Jane Birkin

actor and former soccer player Eric Cantona

journalist John Carlin

writer Jesús Carrasco

pianist Philippe Cassard

writer Javier Cercas

writer Ron Chernow

novelist Maryse Condé

artist Molly Crabapple

filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin

poet Rita Dove

writer Maria Duenas

theater director Marianne Elliott

novelist Jeffrey Eugenides

theater director Oskar Eustis

novelist and essayist Jonathan Franzen

filmmaker Costa-Gavras

writer Roxane Gay

actor Javier Giner

filmmaker Amos Gitai

journalist and writer Philip Gourevitch

writer Almudena Grandes

novelist Lev Grossman

playwright Jessica Hagedorn

writer Daniel Handler

filmmaker Todd Haynes

author Victoria Hislop

actress Isabelle Huppert

novelist Siri Hustvedt

playwright David Henry Hwang

filmmaker Shekhar Kapur

screenwriter Jemima Khan

writer Phil Klay

author Jhumpa Lahiri

writer J.M.G. Le Clézio

author Pierre Lemaitre

writer Sanaë Lemoine

journalist Elvira Lindo

actress Sophie Marceau

novelist Jay McInerney

novelist Eduardo Mendoza

novelist Claire Messud

historian Adam Michnik

stage director Ariane Mnouchkine

novelist Patrick Modiano

journalist Rosa Montero

writer Antonio Muñoz Molina

writer Azar Nafisi

musician Steve Nieve

writer Joyce Carol Oates

poet and essayist Robert Pinsky

novelist Francine Prose

author Philip Pullman

playwright J. T. Rogers

writer George Saunders

philosopher and writer Fernando Savater

wrtier Roberto Saviano

essayist Stacy Schiff

theater director Peter Sellars

artist Cindy Sherman

writer Gary Shteyngart

novelist Jane Smiley

musician Patti Smith

composer Stephen Sondheim

photographer Alec Soth

editor Richard Stengel

actor Patrick Stewart

poet Rose Styron

Russian translator Arch Tait

author Amy Tan

actress Emma Thompson

writer Olga Tokarczuk

journalist Calvin Trillin

novelist Anne Tyler

writer Álvaro Vargas Llosa

writer Mario Vargas Llosa

writer Manuel Vilas

actress Emily Watson

writer Tobias Wolff

writer John Weidman

writer Lawrence Wright

television presenter El Gran Wyoming