Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has gone on hunger strike as he protests against a lack of proper medical treatment for his back and leg pains.

Navalny, one of the most outspoken critics of President Vladimir Putin was arrested in January as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from what doctors said was a nerve agent poisoning.

He was jailed earlier this month for two years and eight months for parole violations he says were trumped up.

Concerns have been raised about his health in jail and on Wednesday in an Instagram post it was alleged prison authorities have refused to give him the right medication.

They have also allegedly not allowed his doctor to visit him behind bars.

And he has also protested against the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night, saying they amount to sleep deprivation torture.

As a result, it says, “he thinks that the only way to attract attention is hunger strike”.

A number of countries, including the UK, have called for his release but the Russian government has dismissed this as interference in its internal affairs.

Related posts:

Italy surpasses 100,000 COVID deaths a year after imposing world’s first national lockdown ‘Designed to break you’: British-Australian academic had suicidal thoughts in Iranian jail ‘It means a lot’: Christian Eriksen thanks well-wishers as he recovers from cardiac arrest Global COVID cases fall for seventh week – longest decline since start of pandemic Brazil’s president in hospital after 10 days of hiccups and may need emergency surgery Moon ‘wobble’ to bring a surge of severe flooding in 2030s, NASA warns Dutch crime reporter dies nine days after being shot in Amsterdam ‘Many houses don’t exist’: The families whose lives have been destroyed by floods Build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine-Russia border sparks concerns among Western allies Body of young migrant found at Belarus-Polish border as Britain sends troops to help with crisis Scorpion stings kill three and injure hundreds more after storms hit southern Egypt ‘The government has failed’: Inside the underground Polish movement helping migrants on Belarus border