Alexeï Navalny died in a prison beyond the Arctic Circle on Friday February 16, at the age of 47. Main opponent of the regime, his death raises questions. Emmanuel Macron asked for “light to be shed”. The United Kingdom directly accuses the Russian authorities.
The essential
- Alexeï Navalny, the main Russian opponent of Vladimir Putin, died Friday February 16 in a prison located in the Polar Circle, according to information from the Russian prison services. The causes of death are not known, but the conditions of his detention had been criticized for several months by his supporters and lawyers.
- The President of Russia did not react, but other political leaders hold him responsible for the death, notably in London where they are calling for a “full and transparent investigation”.
- Friday evening, Emmanuel Macron, who received the Ukrainian president at the Élysée, estimated that “the death of Alexeï Navalny speaks of the weakness of the Kremlin and the fear of any opponent”.
- In Washington, London, Berlin, Lisbon, Vilnius… Many demonstrators paid tribute to Alexei Navalny on Friday evening. If most of the mobilizations were held in an atmosphere of contemplation, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the police arrested several demonstrators who came to lay flowers in front of the memorial to the victims of political repression.
Live
10:16 – “More than 101 people arrested in ten cities” in Russia
Several rallies took place in Russia to pay tribute to Alexeï Navalny. According to a count published this Saturday morning by the NGO OVD-Info, “more than 101 people were arrested in ten cities”, most of them in Saint Petersburg.
09:55 – “A true and indisputable hero”, according to director Kirill Serebrennikov
“Navalny has continued to laugh in their faces since his prison all these years. He will now and forever become the symbol of courage and unwavering will in resistance to this criminal system. He is now a true and indisputable hero,” he said. defended director Kirill Serebrennikov.
09:41 – London summoned diplomats from the Russian embassy
The British government summoned diplomats from the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom. London said that the Russian authorities were held “fully responsible” for Navalny’s death. The foreign ministry said the death must “be the subject of a full and transparent investigation.” “No one should doubt the brutal nature of the Russian system,” according to a British government spokesperson.
09:27 – A demonstration in Washington
Several hundred people gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Washington, United States. The slogan “Putin murderer” was projected on the walls of the establishment. Flowers were also left in front of the Russian consulate in New York, where photos of Navalny were hung on the building’s railings.
02/16/24 – 11:28 p.m. – Alexeï Navalny’s message after his death
END OF LIVE – Alexeï Navalny had taken precautions and warned of the message to leave to the Russians after his death: “Don’t stand by and do nothing.” The message was delivered in the documentary retracing his journey and released in 2022 by Daniel Roher. Already, the political opponent called for continued actions against the authoritarian Russian government.
02/16/24 – 10:48 p.m. – Gatherings organized across Europe to pay tribute to Alexeï Navalny
In London, in Berlin, in Vilnius… Across Europe, this Friday evening, demonstrators gathered in front of symbolic monuments, in squares or in front of Russian embassies, as in Lisbon, to pay tribute to the political opponent Alexei Navalny. In St. Petersburg, Russia, some protesters laying flowers were arrested by law enforcement.
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He was the Kremlin’s number one enemy. The Russian opponent of Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, died in prison this Friday, February 16, 2024. The death of the man who was the main opponent of the President of Russia was confirmed by the Russian Prison Administration (FSIN). According to these services, the 47-year-old man held in a penitentiary center located in the Polar Circle “felt unwell after a walk” before dying despite the intervention of medical services, specifies the FSIN of the Arctic region of Iamal in a statement.
“All the necessary resuscitation measures were carried out but did not give a positive result. The emergency doctors noted the death of the patient. The causes of death are being established”, also specifies the press release from the services penitentiaries who assure that the man had not reported any health problems. A procedural investigation was opened after the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian Investigative Committee said. Vladimir Putin was informed of the death of Alexei Navalny, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cited by the Russian news agency TASS. On the other hand, the opponent’s spokesperson indicated that she had not had confirmation of the death. She assures X that “Alexeï Navalny’s lawyer is flying to Kharp. As soon as we have information, we will communicate it”.
Russian regime held responsible for death of Alexei Navalny
Several heads of state reacted to the announcement of the death and some blame Russian power, even Vladimir Putin, for the death of Alexeï Navalny. The Russian government “bears a heavy responsibility” for this death according to Norwegian diplomacy. The President of Latvia declared that Alexeï Navalny “has just been brutally assassinated by the Kremlin”. In France, the first reaction is that of Stéphane Séjourné, Minister of Foreign Affairs, according to whom the Russian opponent “paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression”.
Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression.
His death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
To his family, his loved ones and the Russian people, France presents its condolences.
— Stéphane Séjourné (@steph_sejourne) February 16, 2024
The causes of Alexeï Navalny’s death are not yet known, but several reactions from the Russian opponent’s supporters also accuse the Kremlin of having accelerated the politician’s death. His supporters have assured for several months that the Russian authorities were seeking to further isolate the political opponent in the run-up to the presidential election scheduled for March 2024. During his latest interventions on social networks, Alexeï Navalny had called for demonstrations everywhere in Russia during the presidential election, in particular by going to the polling stations at noon: “I like the idea that those who vote against Putin go to the polls at the same time, at noon. Noon against Putin” , he declared on.
Difficult detention conditions
Alexei Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony after being convicted of “extremism” in 2021. The man was arrested in January 2021 during his return from Russia after uconvalesced in Germany for a poisoning he blamed in the Kremlin. Since then, he has alternated stays in solitary confinement with strict conditions of detention. He had been transferred from the penal colony in the Vladimir region, located 250 kilometers east of Moscow, to where he was in the Arctic at the end of December. The media had little news and were unaware of the state of health of Vladimir Putin’s main opponent. Relatives of the activist and politician, such as Olga Prokopieva, denounced “very difficult conditions of detention where he cannot receive a letter, no family visits”. “It’s very complicated for his lawyers to see him. In addition, the climatic conditions in this region are very harsh, and will cause an additional blow to his morale,” she added, as reported franceinfo.