The White House is “very concerned” that Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has gone missing, a spokesman said Wednesday, as allies of the anti-Kremlin activist report they haven’t been able to contact him for two weeks.
Mr. Navalny, 47, is a longtime critic of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and recently announced his intention to run for another term. People close to the dissident lost touch with him on Dec. 6 and cannot find him in the prison system, according to wire reports.
“Very concerned about these reports; can’t confirm them,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We’re concerned about that, as we have been. He should never have been detained in the first place.”
Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova, who reports on human rights in Russia for the U.N., also expressed unease.
Mr. Navalny was detained in January 2021 after his return to Moscow from Germany following treatment for poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Mr. Navalny has led anti-Kremlin protests for a decade. He’s had multiple prison stints and says charges against him are politically motivated.
“We call, again, on Moscow, the Kremlin, to immediately release him and to make sure that they can keep his family informed about his whereabouts,” Mr. Kirby said.
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