Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, currently imprisoned, shared snippets of his humorous and bizarre demands to the prison officials, including a request for moonshine, a balalaika, and a kangaroo. Unsurprisingly, these requests were not granted.
His team appears to have posted the replies from the prison authorities on his social media account. This interaction followed almost 180 days of solitary confinement for Navalny since last summer at Penal Colony No. 6, located east of Moscow in the Vladimir region.
46-year-old Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court convictions, which he claims are trumped-up charges designed to silence his efforts to unmask government corruption and instigate protests against the Kremlin. He was detained in January 2021 when he returned to Moscow after a recovery period in Germany, recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he alleges was a Kremlin attack.
Navalny stated, “When you are confined in a punishment isolation cell and have little entertainment, you can enjoy correspondence with the administration.”
His denied requests included an amusing proposal for a megaphone for a neighbouring prisoner “so he can yell even louder” and a martial arts honour to be bestowed upon another inmate who “killed a man with his bare hands.”
The authorities also denied his requests for moonshine, rolling tobacco, and the balalaika. Navalny, however, displayed mock indignation when his plea to keep a kangaroo as a pet in his cell was denied, pointing out that prisoners could have a pet with the administration’s consent.
Navalny declared, “I will continue to fight for my inalienable right to own a kangaroo,” humorously writing on his social media post.
Navalny will celebrate his 47th birthday this Sunday, with his team urging public demonstrations in support of him.
The Moscow court has scheduled a new trial for Navalny for June 6 on extremism charges, which could extend his imprisonment to 30 years. Additionally, he could face a separate military court trial on terrorism charges, potentially leading to a life sentence.
These additional charges coincide with a heightened crackdown on dissidents by Russian authorities amidst the conflict in Ukraine, which Navalny has vocally condemned.
As Navalny turns another year older in prison, his team mobilizes public support in his favour. Russia’s political climate grows tense with the Kremlin’s increased crackdown on dissidents and critics, coupled with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Navalny’s satirical missives and his continued resistance despite facing potentially life-altering charges highlight the audacity of the opposition leader, who remains unbroken even in isolation.
