"Navalny's Disappearance Halts Russian Court Cases as Concerns Mount"

Russian courts have suspended new criminal proceedings against opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his lawyers reported that he has not been in contact with them for nearly two weeks, raising concerns of a "forced disappearance." Navalny, who has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison, disappeared from a prison in the Vladimir region and is suspected to have been transferred to a "special regime" colony, where he could be held incommunicado. Supporters fear that he may have been hospitalized after collapsing earlier this month. The Kremlin has not provided information on Navalny's whereabouts, and his supporters believe he is being silenced or even killed as Putin plans to extend his rule for a fifth presidential term.