Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is suing the Russian prison in which he is being held for depriving him of the Quran.
Navalny said in an Instagram post that he bought two to three volumes of the Quran with commentary, but not given to him because it takes three months for prison officials to check books for extremism.
He called checking the Koran for extremism illegal and is now suing Moscow prison for reading.
Navalny is serving a 2½-year sentence on what he claims are trumped-up charges of the Russian government.
Although Navalny is a Christian, he says that studying the Quran is part of his self-improvement and that he “Koran champion among Russian non-Muslim politicians,” The Associated Press reported
The lawsuit comes amid a deterioration in Navalny’s health, as he is on a two-week hunger strike because the prison did not allow him to see a doctor for his leg and back pain.
The prison is threatening to force feeding Navalny if he doesn’t end the hunger strike, but doesn’t let him see a doctor of his choice.
Navalny begins to lose the feeling in his hands as he does was recently diagnosed with hernia.
Multiple countries have condemned Russia for imprisoning Navalny and imposed sanctions on the country for its actions.