Navalny misses another hearing, judge decides to suspend proceedings

(Patria) - Leading Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has again failed to appear at a court hearing, his associates announced.

Navalny's absence from the hearing has intensified fears that something has happened to him.

His lawyers have not seen the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin for two weeks.

The Russian government has refused to disclose his whereabouts or fully explain his absence.

Navalny's team said that when their client did not appear as planned on Monday, the judge decided to suspend the proceedings.

Navalny usually appeared at hearings via video link.

Navalny's lawyers said the judge has an obligation to help them find their client, but instead, he "abandoned his duty."

The UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on the situation in Russia, Mariana Katzarova, expressed concern.

"Mr. Navalny and all those arbitrarily detained should be immediately released and provided with legal remedies and compensation for the harm suffered, in accordance with international human rights obligations," Katzarova said.

The court in the city of Kovrov, 260 kilometers northeast of Moscow, received Navalny's complaints about the management of the prison where he is serving a 19-year sentence for alleged extremism and other charges.

Navalny (47) has reportedly filed lawsuits against the prison system for violating his rights.

He has been missing since early December and has missed several hearings. Initially, Russian prison officials blamed a power outage for the inability to connect the video link to the court.

Then, authorities confirmed that Navalny is no longer in the Vladimir region, where the Kovrov court is located. His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said they believe Navalny was transferred from penal colony IK-6, but his location remains unknown.

This month, Navalny's supporters launched the "Russia Without Putin" campaign, calling on Russians to protest by voting for other candidates in the upcoming presidential elections on March 17.

Even before he disappeared, Navalny's team expressed concern for the health of the leading opposition activist.