Navalny sues Russian prison for withholding Quran

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is suing the Russian prison he is being held in for withholding the Quran from him.

Navalny said in an Instagram post that he has bought two to three volumes of the Quran with commentary but they haven’t been given to him because it takes three months for prison officials to check books for extremism.

He called checking the Quran for extremism illegal and is now suing the Moscow jail to be able to read.

Navalny is serving a 2½ year prison sentence on what he’s alleged are trumped-up charges from the Russian government. 

Although Navalny is a Christian, he says studying the Quran is part of his self-improvement and he wants to become the “Quran champion among Russian non-Muslim politicians,” The Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit comes during a decline in Navalny’s health as he is two weeks into a hunger strike since the prison would not let him see a doctor for his leg and back pain.

The prison is threatening to force feed Navalny if he doesn’t end the hunger strike, but won’t let him see a doctor of his choosing. 

Navalny is beginning to lose feeling in his hands as he was recently diagnosed with spinal hernias.

Multiple countries have condemned Russia for imprisoning Navalny and have placed sanctions on the country for its actions.