Navalny's Mysterious Absence Raises Concerns in Russian Courts

Two court hearings for Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny have been postponed until January, raising concerns about his whereabouts. Navalny's lawyers have not had access to him since December 6, and his allies are worried about the lack of information regarding his location. Requests for information have been filed with over 200 detention centers, but responses are still awaited. Navalny was expected to be transferred to a "special regime" colony, the most severe grading in Russia's prison system. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia expressed alarm over the failure to disclose Navalny's whereabouts, calling it an enforced disappearance. Concerns about Navalny's health have also been raised, as he has been ill-treated in detention and deprived of adequate medical care. Navalny, a critic of the Kremlin, was jailed in 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for poisoning.