Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said on Friday that he would gradually end his hunger strike. Navalny’s personal doctors had urged him to stop his hunger strike, fearing that he would not survive.
Navalny expects it will take at least 24 days to gradually end his hunger strike, he says via Instagram. The 44-year-old thanked the people who had supported him in the last period.
Navalny began the procedure more than three weeks ago because he asked to see a doctor of his choice due to health problems in prison.
The opposition leader’s health has deteriorated recently. He is said to be suffering from kidney failure and complains of severe back pain and numbness in his right leg. In order to survive, the doctors, including the cardiologist, said it was important to stop the hunger strike as soon as possible.
Navalny, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in February. He is said to have failed to comply with the terms of a previous conviction for fraud and to serve his sentence in a criminal camp. Due to his deteriorating health, he was transferred to a correctional facility.
