Russian Police Detain CNN Journalist Reporting on Alexei Navalny’s Move to Prison Hospital (UPDATED)
CNN international correspondent Matthew Chance announced that he was detained by Russian authorities after reporting on Alexei Navalny’s confinement in prison.
Navalny, who has been internationally recognized as a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin, recently made news by declaring a hunger strike after being denied of his rights to medical attention for his physical condition. Navalny said he has been experiencing pain in his back and legs that made it difficult for him to walk, but The Guardian reports that there has been a tuberculosis outbreak in Navalny’s penal colony, and his lawyer says that his client is feverish and “seriously ill.”
On Tuesday, Chance beamed into CNN’s New Day to cover the news that Navalny has been moved to the prison’s sick ward. Chance was flanked the whole time by prison officers who were blocking journalists and pro-Navalny protesters from getting any closer to the facility.
Chance delivered the report by going through a run-down of Navalny’s medical complications ever since the Putin critic was nearly assassinated with a nerve agent last year.
“What an interesting report,” John Berman remarked. “And the mere image of you standing there, it does not smell of transparency, the picture of you there, surrounded by Russian law enforcement/military, does it?”
“No,” Chance answered, “but there has been some video that’s come out over the past couple days showing Alexei Navalny inside this penal colony. It’s closed circuit television. It’s pictures of him sleeping in bed. He complained he’s suffering from sleep deprivation, he gets woken up every hour to make sure he’s still there.”
Shortly after the segment, Chance tweeted that the Russian police had detained him.
Just been detained by Russian police outside navalny penal colony pic.twitter.com/aP2N2t80FP
— Matthew Chance (@mchancecnn) April 6, 2021
This was confirmed by CNN’s Bianna Golodryga as she referred to Russian news sources.
Russian police detain my @cnn colleague @mchancecnn outside the prison colony where @navalny is being held. A rally of doctors demanding that Navalny be allowed medical treatment had been taking place. He must be released immediately #lawlessness https://t.co/zhRir44VV0
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) April 6, 2021
UPDATE – 11:30 a.m. ET: Chance tweeted hours later that he and his colleagues have been released.
After being detained outside penal colony where navalny imprisoned, all #cnn staff have now been released. #russia pic.twitter.com/SnR0hG0QUJ
— Matthew Chance (@mchancecnn) April 6, 2021
Watch above, via CNN.
