The incarcerated Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny said on Wednesday that he was being moved to a cell-type facility within a Russian penal colony that would extend his time without visits to more than a year, as his supporters continue to raise alarms about his declining physical condition.
Even maniacs and serial killers serving life sentences have the right to receive a visit, but I don't, he wrote on Twitter. The hardships make one tougher, but I don't understand why this should apply to my children too. Navalny said he would spend six months, the maximum possible term under Russian law, in the new facility, and that he would be denied visits, as he has for the previous eight months.
His lawyer, Vadim Kobzev, said on Wednesday that the move is an unmistakable effort to destroy Mr. Navalny's health. He accused prison officials of deliberately infecting Mr. Navalny with an illness and then administering inappropriate treatment. Mr. Navalny was experiencing sharp stomach pains and had lost seven kilograms, or over 15 pounds, according to Mr. Kobzev.