Original Material
Don’t be killers
Meduza demands adequate medical care for Alexey Navalny (before it’s too late)
Alexey Navalny is dying in prison. After he miraculously survived being poisoned with the chemical weapon Novichok last year, his condition is deteriorating again. In an effort to get access to his own doctors, Navalny launched a hunger strike. Almost three weeks later, the hunger strike continues. This is an act of desperation. Navalny’s team of doctors believes that his life is now at risk.
Defying the Constitution and spitting in the face of democracy, the authorities have also decided to crush and demoralize Navalny’s supporters by branding them as “extremists’ — a radical and unprecedented effort to destroy political competition in Russia.
Even this campaign, however, pales in comparison to what is happening today to Navalny, who faces another attempt on his life — the second in just a year.
The best international news organizations, Nobel laureates, scholars, writers, and Hollywood stars are all trying to draw the world’s attention to Navalny’s fate. Western governments have threatened the Kremlin with consequences if Vladimir Putin’s main political opponent is allowed to die behind bars. Navalny’s allies are assembling again for nationwide protests.
Will any of this help? It’s pointless to guess. In these circumstances, you have to act according to your conscience. Alexey Navalny’s fate depends only on us. On each of us. And this is all that matters right now.
We don’t know how much time is left to save Navalny from death or irreversible damage to his health. It could be days. Maybe it’s a matter of hours.
Meduza’s newsroom demands that Alexey Navalny’s doctors receive access to their patient immediately. This demand is perfectly legal and easily fulfilled.
To the Russian authorities: be human beings. Don’t be killers.
To help raise awareness about Alexey Navalny’s declining health and perilous situation in prison, please consider sharing this text on social media. On Facebook, you can also add a banner to your avatar as a show of solidarity with the man Russian prison officials are trying to kill. It’s the least we can do.