Updated Dec 15, 2023 - World

U.S. warns Russia "will be held accountable" for Navalny's treatment in prison

April Rubin

A photo of six people standing at a long table with one additional person behind them. — Already imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny (2L) listens to his verdict over extremism charges on Aug. 4 in the Vladimir region east of Moscow. Photo: Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images

The U.S. State Department said Friday that it is "deeply concerned" about the wellbeing of imprisoned Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, after his lawyers said they haven't seen him in more than a week.

Driving the news: "We have communicated to the Russian government that they are responsible for what happens to Mr. Navalny in their custody, and they will be held accountable by the international community," a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

Earlier in the day, Navalny's lawyers were told Navalny was moved to a different facility. His transfer out of the Vladimir region occurred on Dec. 11, Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X.
"Let me remind you that the lawyers have not seen Alexei since Dec. 6," she added.

Why it matters: Navalny, who previously survived an assassination attempt, and has been one of the most outspoken critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, even from prison. His disappearance coincides with the start of the Russian election season.

He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August — while already serving an 11-year sentence — on charges related to founding groups retroactively labeled by a Russian court as "extremist."
In reality, the organizations — which were founded to expose financial malfeasance in the Kremlin — were labeled as being extremist only after they published investigations into alleged corruption by high-ranking Russian government officials.

State of play: Allies of the opposition leader were told in court on Friday that he was moved, the AP reported.

Russian prison transfers often take weeks, without access to prisoners or information about their whereabouts.
The Kremlin said it does not have the "capacity, or right, or desire to track the fates of those prisoners who are serving sentences by order of a court," German media outlet DW News reported.

The big picture: In its statement Friday, the State Department reiterated calls for Navalny's "immediate release, without conditions, and for the Russian government to end its continued repression of independent voices in Russia."

Go deeper: Lawyers for Alexei Navalny say he's been missing for a week

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from the State Department.

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U.S. warns Russia "will be held accountable" for Navalny's treatment in prison

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