6 Penal Colony Leaders Sanctioned By UK After Navalny’s Death
Penal Colony Leaders Sanctioned By UK
The UK Foreign Office announces sanctions on six Penal Colony Leaders overseeing the penal colony where Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny passed away recently.
Britain has placed sanctions on six individuals responsible for overseeing the Arctic penal colony where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny passed away last week. Navalny’s death in prison sparked outrage among Western leaders, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemning the Russian authorities for repeatedly attempting to silence him.
The sanctioned individuals, which include the head and five deputy heads of the penal colony, will face travel bans to the UK and asset freezes. The Russian embassy in London criticized the sanctions as unwarranted interference in internal Russian affairs, while Cameron vowed to hold those responsible for Navalny’s mistreatment accountable.
Meanwhile, the European Union is considering new sanctions against Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, with support from Navalny’s widow and various EU member states. The United States is also set to announce sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death and the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Britain has imposed sanctions on over 1,700 individuals and entities. Additionally, EU members have approved further sanctions targeting entities and individuals allegedly involved in supporting Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine.
6 Penal Colony Leaders Sanctioned By UK
Those in charge of the Arctic penal colony where Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was detained and killed will be banned from the UK and see their assets frozen under new sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary today.
The sanctioned individuals include Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, who oversaw the brutal prison camp where Mr Navalny was kept in solitary confinement for up to 2 weeks at a time. Mr Navalny’s condition had deteriorated in his 3 years in prison. Mr Navalny suffered from being denied medical treatment, as well as having to walk in –32C weather while being held in the prison.
The UK is the first country to impose sanctions in response to the death of Mr Navalny, a political prisoner who dedicated his life to exposing the corruption of the Russian system, calling for free and open politics, and holding the Kremlin to account.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:
It’s clear that the Russian authorities saw Navalny as a threat and they tried repeatedly to silence him. FSB operatives poisoned him with Novichok in 2020, they imprisoned him for peaceful political activities, and they sent him to an Arctic penal colony. No-one should doubt the oppressive nature of the Russian system.
That’s why we’re today sanctioning the most senior prison officials responsible for his custody in the penal colony where he spent his final months. Those responsible for Navalny’s brutal treatment should be under no illusion – we will hold them accountable.
The following individuals are being sanctioned under the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations for their responsibility for activity that violates the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the right to life. Namely, they are responsible for the custody of Alexei Navalny in their positions as Head or Deputy Head of Arctic Penal Colony IK-3:
- Colonel Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin: Head of IK-3 Arctic Penal Colony ‘Polar Wolf’
- Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Nikolaevich Korzhov: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Alexandrovich Vydrin: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Ivanovich Pilipchik: Deputy Head
- Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr Vladimirovich Golyakov: Deputy Head
- Colonel Aleksandr Valerievich Obraztsov: Deputy Head
Following Mr Navalny’s death on Friday, the FCDO summoned a representative of the Russian government to make clear that Alexei Navalny’s death must be investigated fully and transparently, and those in the Russian regime responsible held to account.
Following news that Mr Navalny’s family is being denied access to his body, the UK is also calling for the Russian authorities to release his body to them immediately.
The Foreign Secretary will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brazil today, where he will use the opportunity to call out Russia’s aggression and its global impact directly to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Navalny, a prominent figure in the Russian opposition movement for the past decade, was serving a 19-year sentence widely criticized as politically motivated. The Russian prison service reported that he passed away at the IK-3 Arctic penal colony, also known as the “Polar Wolf,” after collapsing suddenly during a walk.
Navalny’s supporters assert that he was assassinated on the orders of President Putin. His family has been informed that his body will not be released for two weeks, purportedly for “chemical analysis,” according to a spokesperson for Navalny.
Despite efforts to locate the body, Russian authorities have not provided confirmation of its whereabouts. Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, suspects that the body is being held until any traces of poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok, which he survived an assassination attempt with in 2020, have dissipated.
