On the day the Moscow prosecutor announced that it will ban organizations from Alexei Navalny declaring them “extremist”, Nobel prize-winning writers like Svetlana Aleksievich and Orhan Pamuk, cartoonists like the creator of Maus, singers like Thom Yorke and Oscar-winning actors like Ralph Fiennes have signed an appeal addressed to the Russian president Vladimir Putin to allow the opponent in prison to be examined and treated by a doctor of his choice.
Navalny is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for a sentence deemed “politically motivated” by the European Court of Human Rights and went on hunger strike 17 days ago asking to be examined by a trusted doctor. Just today in a tweet he denounced: “If you think that we have returned to the last days of the Soviet Union, you are wrong: Stalin and Beria are in power.”
April 16, 2021
Al presidente Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,
As of this writing, Alexei Navalny is being held in a penal colony that many lawyers and human rights defenders consider to be one of the toughest in Russia. As has been reported around the world, his health is deteriorating: he is in a critical condition and urgently needs medical attention.
Alexei Navalny is exhibiting symptoms of a severe neurological disorder: constant back pain and loss of sensation in his legs and hands. He also suffers from a severe cough and fever. As a Russian citizen, he has the legal right to be examined and treated by a doctor of his choice. Having been denied this right, on March 30, he began a hunger strike in protest.
We appeal to you, Mr. President, to ensure that Alexei Navalny immediately receives the medical treatment and assistance he urgently needs and is entitled to under Russian law. All you have to do is what you swore as president: defend and respect the law.
To President Putin,
As we write, Alexey Navalny is being held in a penal colony that many lawyers and human rights advocates consider to be one of the harshest in Russia. As has been reported worldwide, his health is deteriorating and he is in a critical state and requires urgent medical attention.
Alexey Navalny is exhibiting symptoms of a severe neurological disorder – constant back pain and the loss of sensation in his legs and hands. In addition, he is suffering from 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. Having been denied this right, on March 30th, he began a hunger strike in protest.
We call on you, Mr President, to ensure that Alexey Navalny is immediately given the medical treatment and care that he urgently requires – and is entitled to under Russian law. As someone who has sworn to uphold the law, you have only to do so.
The signatories:
Svetlana Aleksievich
Martin Amis
Anne Applebaum
Christopher Buckley
Ken Burns
Emmanuel Carrere
Christopher Clark
J. M. Coetzee
Benedict Cumberbatch
Alan Cumming
Rachel Cusk
David Duchovny
Louise Erdrich
Sir Richard J. Evans
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Niall Ferguson
Ralph Fiennes
Orlando Figes
Antonia Fraser
Stephen Fry
Neil Gaiman
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Louise lucky
Sam Greene
Matt Haig
David Hare
Robert Harris
Daniel Kehlmann
Etgar Frame
David Lagercrantz
Jude Law
Marc Levy
Ling Ma
Ben Macintyre
Hilary Mantel
Agnes Martin-Lugand
Natascha McElhone
Ian McKellen
Catherine Merridale
Herta Müller
Péter Nádas
Sylvia Nasar
Bill Nighy
Suzanne Nossel
Amelia Nothomb
Michael Ondaatje
George Packer
Orhan Pamuk
Robert Peston
Maria Popova
Richard Powers
Ellendea Proffer Teasley
Vanessa Redgrave
David remnick
JK Rowling
Arundhati Roy
Salman Rushdie
Philippe Sands
Nitin Sawhney
Simon Schama
Samanta Schweblin
Kristin Scott Thomas
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Elif Shafak
Peter Singer
Ali Smith
Timothy Snyder
Art Spiegelman
Juliet Stevenson
Tom Stoppard
Patrick Süskind
Colm Tóibín
Björn Ulvaeus (Abba)
Tim Weiner
Simon Winchester
John Wray
Thom Yorke