Foreign writers, directors, journalists, and other cultural figures—including five Nobel laureates—have called on Vladimir Putin to provide Alexei Navalny with medical care.
Their open letter was published by Le Monde, The Economist (which also published a more detailed article), Der Spiegel, Politiken, and La Repubblica.
Below is the text of the letter in Russian:
April 16, 2021 President Putin, Alexei Navalny is currently being held in a penal colony that many lawyers and human rights advocates consider one of the harshest in Russia. As the whole world already knows, his health is deteriorating; he is in critical condition and requires urgent medical attention. Alexei Navalny is showing symptoms of a serious neurological disorder—persistent back pain and loss of sensation in his legs and arms. In addition, he is suffering from a severe cough and fever. As a Russian citizen, he has the legal right to be examined and treated by a doctor of his own choosing. Having been denied this right, he began a hunger strike on March 30 in protest. We urge you, Mr. President, to ensure that Alexei Navalny receives without delay the treatment and care he needs—and to which he is entitled under Russian law. As someone who has sworn to uphold the law, you are obligated to do so.
J. J. Abrams Svetlana Alexievich Christopher Buckley Ken Burns Neil Gaiman Henry Louis Gates Jr. Louise Glück Sam Green David Duchovny Patrick Süskind Thom Yorke Emmanuel Carrère Christopher Clark J. M. Coetzee Benedict Cumberbatch Alan Cumming Rachel Cusk Daniel Kehlmann Etgar Keret David Lagercrantz Marc Levy Jude Law Ling Ma Ben Macintyre Natasha McElhone Hilary Mantel Agnès Martin-Lugand Catherine Merridale Herta Müller Péter Nádas Sylvia Nasar Bill Nighy Suzanne Nossel Amélie Nothomb Michael Ondaatje Orhan Pamuk Richard Powers Robert Peston Maria Popova Ellendea Proffer Teasley George Packer Vanessa Redgrave David Remnick Arundhati Roy J. K. Rowling Salman Rushdie John Ray Nitin Sawhney Simon Sebag Montefiore Peter Singer Kristin Scott Thomas Ali Smith Timothy Snyder Juliet Stevenson Tom Stoppard Philippe Sands Colm Tóibín Orlando Figes Ralph Fiennes Niall Ferguson Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Stephen Fry Antonia Fraser Robert Harris Matt Haig David Hare Simon Schama Elif Shafak Samanta Schweblin Art Spiegelman Tim Weiner Simon Winchester Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) Sir Richard J. Evans Martin Amis Anne Applebaum Louise Erdrich