Allies of jailed Kremlin critic Navalny say he's lost 8kg due to sleep deprivation

FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny delivers a speech during a rally to demand the release of jailed protesters, who were detained during opposition demonstrations for fair elections, in Moscow, Russia September 29, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Allies of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Thursday he had lost 8kg in prison before even beginning a hunger strike, something they blamed on guards depriving him of sleep even as the prison service defended his treatment in custody.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critics, went on hunger strike on Wednesday to try to force the prison holding him to give him proper medical care for what he said was acute pain in his back and legs.