The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said on Thursday that prisoners in the country’s Vladimir region, where Navalny is being held, received medical checks on Wednesday at the request of detainees, according to state media TASS.
Navalny was among those examined, and the anti-corruption activist had “a good and stable general health,” the FSIN statement said.
He was a perennial thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising concerns for his safety in the country, and the activist died almost after being poisoned with nerve agent Novichok in August last year.
Navalny’s legal team told CNN on Wednesday that it had complained of back pain in the last week and on Tuesday began to feel numbness in one of its legs.
Vadim Kobzev, one of the activist’s lawyers, told CNN that he and his colleague Olga Mikhailova were waiting at the No. 2 penal colony in Pokrov in the Vladimir region to see Navalny on Wednesday for a preliminary visit.
After a few hours of waiting, they were not allowed to see him. The couple was told the visit was canceled due to “regime measures”.
“We don’t know what’s behind this,” Kobzev said.
“We ask to be able to see him to be sure of his health. [Last] On Friday, he was examined by a neurologist, the diagnosis was never given after that “.
The lawyer added: “He was prescribed two tablets of ibuprofen a day. It all started with the spine, [on Tuesday] he said his leg was starting to feel numb. If the foot problems are related to the spine, the fact that I’m not a doctor, I can’t tell you. “
Navalny’s lawyers say they entered the penal colony on Thursday, but it is unclear whether they will reach the activist
Navalny was jailed earlier this year for violating the probationary conditions of a 2014 case in which he received a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence.
A Moscow court has taken into account the 11 months Navalny has already spent under house arrest as part of the decision and replaced the rest of the suspended sentence with a prison sentence last month.
Kobzev stressed on Wednesday that it is crucial for Navalny’s lawyers to meet with him to check on his well-being.
“We believe that, first of all, we need to see him and, secondly, he needs to be examined by a normal civilian specialist, who will diagnose and prescribe the treatment he may suffer,” he said, adding that at least one of the activist’s lawyers sees him every day.
Maria Pevchikh, head of the Navalny anti-corruption fund’s investigation unit, took to Twitter to express her concern about her health.
“This is the first time Navalny’s lawyers have not been allowed to see him on a scheduled day. Alexey’s exact location is currently unknown,” she wrote.
“FSIN said that Navalny underwent a medical examination in the colony and that his health was considered” satisfactory, “Navalny’s press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, wrote on Twitter. “They said this in Omsk as well,” she added, referring to the time when Navalny was in a coma after his 2020 poisoning.