Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny 'poisoned', currently in ICU

Russia’s opposition leader Alexei Navalny is in intensive care after he fell “unconscious” due to suspected poisoning, his spokesperson said on August 20. Kira Yarmysh tweeted that the anti-corruption campaigner, also a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, fell ill during a flight and the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk.

"We suspect that Alexei was poisoned by something mixed into [his] tea. It was the only thing he drank since morning. Doctors are saying that the toxic agent absorbed faster through the hot liquid. Right now Alexei is unconscious,” she said.

Referring to an incident of an acute allergic reaction, Yarmysh said that Navalny was poisoned a year ago when he was in a detention centre and accused the current regime of doing it again. The 44-year-old politician has served several jail terms for organising anti-government protests and has strongly criticised the constitutional reforms introduced by Putin.

The Russian President has introduced a package of constitutional reforms with giving himself an option to stay in power beyond term limits. Navalny described the referendum on constitutional reforms as a "coup" and a "violation of the constitution" as Putin wields unprecedented power in the country.

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Several arrests

Navalny was arrested and kept in detention in 2012 and 2014 for leading anti-government protests, which the European Court of Human Rights had denounced as politically motivated and called it a violation of human rights. The court noted that the governments can have legal requirements to seek authorisation for assemblies, any interference with free assembly has to have a “legitimate aim...such as the prevention of crime or disorder or protecting the rights of others.”

Human Rights Watch said that Russian authorities have been tightening their grip on dissent and peaceful protest, including by adopting new laws with stricter rules on protests and harsher penalties for violations. Rachel Denber, Deputy Director, Europe and Central Asia Division, wrote in a blog that Russia’s government would do better if it listened to these concerns rather than spend extensive resources seeking to silence those who voice them.

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(Image credit: AP)