Send to Kindle Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny said Friday that he is ending his weeks long hunger strike, following a warning from doctors close to him that he was close to death. Navalny had been on hunger strike since March 31, demanding "proper medical care" and to be examined by an independent doctor something his team claims he was unable to get in the penal colony in Pokrov.
In an Instagram message announcing his decision on Friday, Navalny cited two checks by civilian doctors as proof that lobbying from his supporters helped him secure independent medical examination.
A day earlier, five doctors -- who are Navalny's allies and refer to themselves as his attending physicians -- called on him in a letter to end his hunger strike to avoid death.