DESPERATE MEASURES

Navalny Goes on Hunger Strike to Protest Abysmal Prison Conditions

The Russian opposition leader says he’s been denied medical treatment and can no longer feel parts of his legs.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny—who’s serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence at a notorious prison camp outside of Moscow for allegedly violating the terms of his probation while recovering from a poisoning attempt—said on Wednesday that he’s going on a hunger strike because he’s been denied badly needed medical treatment. “The right to invite a specialist for examination and consultation exists for every convict. Even for me, despite the fact that I’m not guilty," he tweeted. “That’s why I am urging that a doctor be allowed to see me, and until that happens, I am going on a hunger strike.” Navalny reportedly said he’s lost feeling in both of his legs and has been forced to endure sleep deprivation torture. “I’m hungry, but at least I have both legs,” his hunger-strike announcement read.