Jailed Russian opposition leader tests negative for Covid-19, says lawyer
Moscow, Apr 7 (efe-epa).- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has tested negative for coronavirus, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova said Wednesday.
Navalny, held in a prison camp to the east of Moscow, was reportedly moved to a prison hospital on Monday after he is said to have shown signs of a respiratory illness.
“The first test gave a negative result. They are making him take a second test and we are waiting for the results,” Mikhailova told Russian News Agency TASS.
Russian newspaper Izvestia reported earlier that Navalny had a high fever among other symptoms, citing prison sources.
On Monday, Navalny posted on Instagram that he had a fever of 38.1C and a severe cough.
The 44-year-old said he had gone on a hunger strike last week, protesting a lack of medical care.
Navalny has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for fraud and money laundering offences. However, he is to serve only 2.5 years as he spent 10 months under house arrest.
The imprisonment of the opposition leader, who almost died after he was poisoned during a flight to Serbia in August, sparked massive protests across the country in late January, during which thousands of people were detained.
Navalny accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of having ordered the FSB domestic intelligence service to assassinate him.EFE-EPA
