Imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny refuses to leave his cell and skips a court hearing as a protest

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday refused to leave his cell and skipped a court hearing, protesting after prison officials took away all of his writing supplies, his allies said. Navalny, who is serving ia 19-year prison term, was due to participate in a court hearing via video link on Monday on one of many lawsuits he had filed against his prison. After Navalny’s refusal to appear, the court hearing was adjourned until Nov. 2. Navalny is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe. His 2021 arrest came upon his return to Moscow from Germany where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. He has since been handed three prison terms, most recently on the charges of extremism, and has faced unrelenting pressure from the authorities.