Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny starts prison hunger strike over inadequate medical treatment

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has started a prison hunger strike to protest officials’ failure to provide proper treatment for his back and leg pains. In a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram, Navalny complained about prison authorities refusing to give him the correct medication or to allow his doctor to visit him. He also protested the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night, saying they amount to sleep deprivation torture. Navalny said he had to protest with a hunger strike because his physical condition has worsened. He said the August poisoning with a nerve agent that nearly killed him made him wonder about the cause of his current ailments.