Putin promoted Navalny to ‘torture’ jailer

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted the jailer who tortured opposition leader Alexei Navalny in recent days.

According to The Independent, the deputy head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Valery Boyarnev, was promoted to the military rank of colonel-general of the Internal Service on Monday.

The promotion comes just three days after Navalny’s death at the Arctic Penal Colony prison.

In June 2023, a court hearing revealed that Boyarinev, who had been awarded the promotion, had been ordered to limit the amount of money paid to Navalny to buy food while in custody. .

Ivan Zhdanov, director of Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, posted a detailed photo of the order on X this morning, writing: ‘Putin’s personal reward for torture and murder.’

The development comes as the mother of Alexei Navalny has been told she must wait 14 days to receive her son’s body.

The move will fuel suspicions that Vladimir Putin’s leading critic was poisoned, as his wife Yulia Navalnaya alleged on Monday.

On the other hand, the Kremlin has termed the accusations of Navalny’s widow as ‘baseless and absurd’.

The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected accusations by opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s widow that President Vladimir Putin was behind his death, according to the AF news agency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Of course, these are completely baseless and absurd accusations against the head of the Russian state.”

Earlier, Russian federal officials said prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Friday in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

Western governments immediately slammed the Kremlin for the death of President Vladimir Putin’s biggest critic.

The Federal Prison Service says Navalny fell unconscious after the walk and medical personnel were unable to save him.

According to the service, Navalny’s condition worsened after the walk and he became unconscious, medical personnel immediately arrived and an ambulance team was also called.

The service added that resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, with medical personnel confirming his death. The cause of death is being ascertained.

Navalny, 47, was Russia’s most senior opposition leader and gained international notoriety for his criticism of Putin’s alleged corruption.

Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has opened an investigation into the death. Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmish said her team had not been informed of Navalny’s death.

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