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Episode 1. A Poisoning

Episode 1 of 5

Alexei Navalny was the fearless and outspoken Russian political figure who died in 2024 in a Siberian penal colony. This is his life in his own words. Benedict Cumberbatch reads.

Alexei Navalny was the fearless political figure who was an outspoken critic of the ruling regime in his beloved Russia. After three years in prison he died in a brutal Siberian penal colony. Read by Benedict Cumberbatch, this is his life in his own words.

From his childhood in the Soviet Union; to falling in love with his wife, Yulia; becoming a father; campaigning against corruption and his political successes, we encounter a man driven by passion for his country. We learn about the arrests, the harassment, the poisonings, the legal battles, and finally we hear from his prison diaries, written during the three years of his imprisonment. Despite the adversity he never lost his humour, his zest for life and his convictions.

Alexei Navalny was awarded various international honours including the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament's annual human rights prize.

Translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard

Release date:

14 minutes

On radio

Next Monday 11:45

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