IRI Condemns Solitary Confinement for Navalny, Calls for the Release of Russian Political Prisoners

Washington, D.C. – The International Republican Institute (IRI) released the following statement after it was reported that jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was moved to solitary confinement. Navalny is currently serving an eleven-and-a-half-year sentence in a prison at Melekhovo, or IK-6. He was given IRI’s Freedom Award, the organization’s highest honor, in May 2022.

“The International Republican Institute strongly condemns moving Alexei Navalny into solitary confinement while he serves a harsh and unjust prison sentence. This brazen action by the criminal regime in Moscow is just the latest attempt to strike fear among the Russian people and silence any potential critics. Unfortunately for Putin, the world can see that such tactics only belong to weak governments that do not have the backing of their citizens or the legitimacy to hold power.

“Vladimir Putin’s failed record of oppressing his own people and invading sovereign neighbors, including the devastating war in Ukraine, has rallied much of the world against him. Shutting down media outlets, corrupting the judiciary, and imprisoning political opponents only highlight the fragility of a regime that is desperate to cling to power. The Russian people deserve to live in a democratic society where all views are welcome, and the government is held accountable by the people.

“IRI calls for the immediate release of Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and all other political prisoners in Russia.”