Alexeï Navalny, main opponent of the Russian regime, died in a prison in the Arctic Circle on Friday February 16. Rallies took place Saturday evening in several Western cities. His relatives accuse the authorities of refusing to hand over his remains.
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.
- His relatives are searching for his remains. They accuse the authorities of “doing everything to avoid having to hand it over”.
- Many Western politicians hold Vladimir Putin responsible for the death, particularly in London where they are calling for a “full and transparent investigation”.
- On Saturday evening, a rally in tribute to Navalny took place in Paris. 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”.
- More than 340 people have been arrested in Russia, alongside tributes to Navalny.
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09:52 – Investigators requested a new histological examination
Russian investigators say the cause of death has not been determined and are requesting a new histological examination. By making this request, they can now keep the body “for a whole month”; according to Eva Levenberg, human rights lawyer at the OVD-Info project. “However, the body can be returned to the relatives if the body carrying out the inspection gives its authorization (…) to avoid further speculation, it is in the interest of the institution and the authorities to return the body body quickly,” she detailed.
09:38 – Alexeï Navalny “was obviously killed”, according to the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize
Lev Ponomarev, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner and co-founder of the Russian NGO Memorial, affirms that Navalny “was killed, it is obvious. (…) Families are also forced to sign false papers and official refusals to recover the body. But in the case of Navalny, they will have no choice and will have to return it,” he said in an interview with France Info.
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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.