The family of Alexei Navalny – his wife, children and his parents – filed a class action lawsuit due to the fact that the administration of the colony forbids meetings with him, which are required by law. Navalny announced this in a letter published on his social networks. According to him, the plaintiffs are ready to go to the Constitutional Court.
“I am a convict. And they never cease to remind me that I am "like everyone else." But I've had 0 (zero) dates in the last year. 0 (zero) long dates, 0 (zero) short dates and 2 (two) phone calls 11 months ago. I am in a strict regime colony, and as a general rule I am allowed 3 long (three days) and 3 short (4 hours through glass) dates a year. And at least 6 phone calls,” Navalny writes.
He notes that even serial killers actually have more rights than he does. At the same time, the administration of the colony, by refusing to visit Navalny with his family, thus violates the constitutional rights of his children.
“With the help of all sorts of tricks and ‘disciplinary action’, the officials of the prison system invented a special regime for me, in which everything is simply forbidden. However, it's not just me. The constitution guarantees the rights of my children – they have the right to see me, and I am obliged to participate in their upbringing. The constitution guarantees the rights of my elderly parents, I am obliged, as far as I can, to take care of them. So, communicate with them. And they were not allowed into the hall even on the first “open” day of my trial. At the same time, the hypocritical system proclaims that communication with relatives and maintaining social ties is one of the signs of correction.
In practice, this is one of the main mechanisms of prison corruption: pay and get a call. Pay more and get a date. Well, or, as in my case, just a mechanism of such mockery. Why don't we date? Yes, because we can, ha ha.
