INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Sunday he was in good spirits on his third birthday behind bars, despite tougher prison conditions
and yet another spell in solitary confinement.It came as police arrested at least 45 people taking part in pro-Navalny demonstrations in
cell" for minor transgressions
His supporters say the authorities are trying to crush his morale.The arch-foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin said he woke up in a
birthday you have to be honest with yourself, so I ask myself the question: am I really in a good mood, or do force myself to feel that
way?"My answer is: I really am
Let's face it, of course I wish I didn't have to wake up in this hellhole and instead have breakfast with my family, receive kisses on the
cheek from my children, unwrap presents..."But life works in such a way that social progress and a better future can only be achieved if a
certain number of people are willing to pay the price for their right to have beliefs."Authorities are taking the crackdown on freedoms
behind bars or in exile.In his message, Navalny said he believed "the day will come when speaking the truth and advocating for justice will
serving a nine-year prison sentence on embezzlement and other charges.He shot to global prominence after barely surviving a poisoning with
returning from Germany after recovering from the poisoning.He is in jail near the town of Vladimir around 200 kilometers outside Moscow, and
has been communicating with the public and sending messages through his legal team.Navalny is soon set to go on trial in a new "extremism"
