Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said on Friday he would gradually end his hunger strike after receiving proper medical attention.
Mr Navalny said doctors warned him that his continued protest, which has lasted for more than three weeks, would put his life at risk.
The Kremlin critic started his hunger strike on March 31 after saying prison authorities had refused him access to a doctor of his choosing despite his complaints of acute back and leg pain.
But in an Instagram post, Mr Navalny said the strike could end after he was examined by non-prison medics, calling it "huge progress."
He said it would take him 24 days to gradually end the hunger strike and thanked the "good people" in Russia and around the world for their support.
"Thank you – I have now been examined twice by a panel of civilian doctors ... they are doing tests and analyses and giving me the results and conclusions," he said.
“Thanks to the huge support of good people across the country and around the world, we have made huge progress.”
The worsening health of Mr Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent domestic opponent, triggered a western diplomatic offensive aimed at persuading Moscow to make concessions.
Authorities at the IK-2 correctional facility about 100 kilometres east of Moscow – where Navalny is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for a conviction he and his supporters say is politically motivated –– said they had offered him prison medical care but that he had refused the care.
His supporters said he refused it because it was substandard and, in some cases, outdated and dangerous.
Thousands of Mr Navalny's supporters protested in cities across Russia on Wednesday to demand he receive proper care and be freed. The US told Moscow it would face consequences if he died in jail.
Mr Navalny survived a poison attack with a nerve agent last year, which Russia denied carrying out.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
