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Alexei Navalny: Jailed Russian opposition head develops 'allergy' Alexei Navalny: Jailed Russian opposition head taken to hospital
(about 13 hours later)
Russia's most prominent opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, has been taken from jail to a hospital in Moscow.Russia's most prominent opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, has been taken from jail to a hospital in Moscow.
Officials gave no details of his condition but Mr Navalny's spokeswoman said he had had an allergic reaction with severe facial swelling - something she said he had not experienced before. Officials said Mr Navalny was in a satisfactory condition but his personal doctor said he may have been poisoned.
A hospital source told Russian media his condition was satisfactory, His spokeswoman earlier suggested he may have have had an allergic reaction, but she said he had not experienced one before.
An eye doctor who treated Mr Navalny previously is concerned he may have been injured by a chemical substance.
Mr Navalny was jailed for 30 days last week after calling for unauthorised protests, which took place on Saturday.Mr Navalny was jailed for 30 days last week after calling for unauthorised protests, which took place on Saturday.
More than 1,000 people were detained during demonstrations against the barring of opposition candidates in forthcoming local elections. Nearly 1,400 people were detained during the demonstrations against the exclusion of opposition candidates from local elections.
The European Union criticised the "disproportionate" use of force against the protesters, saying it undermined the "fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly". The European Union criticised the "disproportionate" use of force against the protesters, saying it undermined the "fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly".
How is Navalny being treated? Media reports said about 20 people, including journalists, were also detained after gathering outside the prison hospital on Sunday night where Mr Navalny was being treated.
Mr Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, tweeted that the opposition leader had never experienced an allergic reaction before. What do we know about Mr Navalny's condition?
He was being given the "necessary medical assistance" in a hospital ward under police protection, she said after his transfer to the hospital. While in prison over the weekend, Mr Navalny reportedly began suffering from acute swelling, discharge from his eye and rashes on his neck, back, chest and wrists.
An ophthalmologist who treated him previously says she and a colleague were turned away by the hospital when they tried to see Mr Navalny. His former campaign manager, Leonid Volkov, said he recalled having a similar reaction while serving a prison sentence in the same jail cell for breaking protest laws.
However, Anastasy Vasilyeva adds that, based on what she could see of his face through a door, she cannot exclude the possibility that he might have been injured by a chemical substance. The hospital described Mr Navalny's condition as satisfactory.
Writing on Facebook, she called for the hospital to allow him to be examined by an eye doctor. Mr Navalny's personal doctor, Anastasia Vassilieva, said earlier that none of the opposition figure's family or lawyers had been told his diagnosis.
Mr Navalny was twice splashed with antiseptic dye in 2017, reportedly suffering a chemical burn to the eye. In a Facebook post, Ms Vassilieva complained that she had been barred from visiting Mr Navalny. But based on what she saw of him through a door, she said he may have been injured by a "chemical substance from a third person".
Mr Navalny made his name in Russia as a grassroots anti-corruption campaigner who led the country's biggest street protests against President Vladimir Putin during the winter of 2011. She said that her suspicions were being fuelled by "certain officials... acting strange".
He has been repeatedly jailed, usually for his involvement in unauthorised demonstrations, but also (at a retrial in 2017) for embezzlement in a case he says was farcical. "No one is looking for the cause [of his illness], doctors are denied access. There are lies all around," she wrote.
His fraud conviction barred him from standing against Mr Putin in the 2018 presidential election. Who is Alexei Navalny?
The 43-year-old made his name in Russia as a grassroots anti-corruption campaigner.
He led the country's biggest street protests against President Putin in 2011 and has repeatedly been jailed, usually for his involvement in unauthorised demonstrations.
Mr Navalny suffered a serious chemical burn to his right eye in 2017 after he was assaulted with antiseptic dye.
He attempted to stand in last year's presidential race but was barred because of previous fraud convictions in a case he says was politically motivated.
What happened during the protests?
Thousands of Russians took to the streets last Saturday to demand fair elections. The demonstrations came after 30 opposition candidates were barred from standing in local races this September.
Officials said the candidates had failed to collect enough valid signatures to stand, but opposition groups argued that the barring was politically motivated.
Mr Navalny helped to organise the demonstrations. Officials said they had arrested nearly 1,400 people - making it one of the biggest crackdowns in recent years.
Images from Saturday showed police in riot gear pushing crowds from the mayor's office in central Moscow.
A number of protesters could be seen bleeding, while at least two members of the security forces reportedly received eye injuries from pepper spray.