Russian exiled media raises funds for political prisoners

Russian exiled media and activists held a telethon on Wednesday in support of the growing number of political prisoners in the country, raising tens of thousands of euros for those behind bars.

Russia has orchestrated a huge crackdown since sending troops to Ukraine, implementing Soviet-style censorship laws. Leading rights group Memorial says Russia now has 739 political prisoners.

Fears for their safety have grown since opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison in February.

Russia’s main independent media Meduza, Dozhd TV and Mediazona, as well as rights groups, ran Wednesday’s YouTube show — dubbed “You are not alone” — to raise funds for prisoners and their families.

Lawyers, activists and cultural figures who oppose the Ukraine invasion were invited to speak.

“People are sitting (in prison) for years. They need constant support for them and their families,” Oleg Navalny, the younger brother of the late Alexei, said on the show.

He served 3.5 years in a case widely seen as punishment for his brother’s politics before being released in 2018.

Navalny stressed the cost of life in a Russian prison, where the food served is often seen as insufficient to stay healthy.

“You will not die of starvation but you will suffer a lot,” he said.

Navalny said prisoners also have major expenses for family visits as they are often held in far-flung colonies, and need to cover lawyer fees and fines.

Fears have especially grown for Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian and UK citizen serving 25 years in Siberia for denouncing the Ukraine invasion and criticising the Kremlin for years.

One of his lawyers, Vadim Prokhorov, who is now also in exile, said Kara-Murza already had poor health after two suspected poisoning attempts.

According to Prokhorov, Kara-Murza had been held in different types of solitary confinement in prison number six in Omsk in Siberia since September.

“This is, unfortunately, the road Navalny took,” Prokhorov said.

Navalny was constantly in and out of solitary confinement in the months before his death in an Arctic prison.

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(NAMPA / AFP)