Navalny accused of repeatedly violating prison rules during first two weeks in Pokrov penal colony

During his two weeks in custody in Pokrov’s Penal Colony No. 2 (IK-2), opposition politician Alexey Navalny has received six reprimands for violating prison rules, according to a post published on his Facebook page on his behalf on Monday, March 29.

“You get two reprimands and you can can go to the ShIZO [punishment cell], and that’s an unpleasant thing, the conditions there are close to torture,” the post says.

The post also includes a list of prison rules that Navalny has allegedly violated. Among other things, it says that he “got out of bed 10 minutes before the ‘wake-up’ call” and “wore a t-shirt to a meeting with lawyers.” 

Penal Colony No. 2, located in the city of Pokrov in the Vladimir region, is a notoriously harsh penal colony, where the prison administration exercises total control over the lives of inmates. 

On March 25, Alexey Navalny’s lawyers reported that his health is deteriorating in prison — he had been suffering from back pain, and then he began experiencing pain and numbness in one of his legs, but he hasn’t been afforded proper treatment. The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) declared that Navalny’s health was “assessed as stable and satisfactory.”

Navalny has also complained about “torture by insomnia” — since he has been a deemed “flight risk,” prison staff wake him up for checks every hour during the night.