Alexei Navalny, desperately ill in jail, is still Putin’s nemesis

BY LOCKING Alexei Navalny up in a harsh penal colony, Vladmir Putin has condemned his main political opponent to acute physical and mental torment and the risk of imminent death. But he has not quelled the threat that Mr Navalny poses to his rule. sent to today from nearly 80 eminent writers, actors, artists, historians and public intellectuals from around the world highlights the ignominy Mr Putin is bringing upon himself and his regime.The signatories report that Mr Navalny, who last August survived poisoning with Novichok, a nerve agent, that many blame on Mr Putin, has symptoms of a severe neurological disorder—constant back pain and the loss of sensation in his legs and hands, as well as a severe cough and fever. “As a Russian citizen, he has the lawful right to be examined and treated by a doctor of his choice,” note the signatories of the letter. “Having been denied this right, on March 30th, he began a hunger strike in protest.” His wife says that, in his cell in Pokrov, some 100km (60 miles) east of Moscow, he has lost some 16kg in weight.