Alexei Navalny death: ‘Very cold place’, Russian critic's final words in Arctic prison

livemint.com:

Alexei Navalny has died after falling sick in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year punishment. His death was announced by Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service on Friday. Situated approximately 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region, the prison is well-known for its harsh and protracted winters.

In December, Navalny was transferred here after being found guilty of extremism. For the first time, Navalny was seen via a video link from Kharp on January 10. Images of him with a buzz cut and dressed in black prison clothes are released by Russian news agencies.

Addressing the Supreme Court in Moscow, Navalny detailed the inhumane circumstances in the jail situated above the Arctic Circle. Navalny cracked jokes about the freezing temperature and asked whether a party was thrown by officials at his previous prison upon his transfer. He also informed the court that inmate mealtimes are limited to ten minutes, as per CNN reports.

“It is impossible to eat in 10 minutes. If you eat every day within 10 minutes, then this meal turns into a rather complex process," he told the Supreme Court judge as quoted by CNN. He further revealed that prison officials kept Alexei Navalny in a tiny punishment cell which often remains cold.

“Do you know why people choose a newspaper there?" he asked. “To protect or cover themselves because it is much warmer to sleep with a newspaper than it is without one, I can assure you, judges. Thus, to avoid freezing, you need a newspaper," he replied.

Navalny also alleged that he is only allowed a certain amount of religious texts due to restrictions from the prison authorities. “(The regulations) say that I am allowed to have 10 books. I need 2