The jailed blogger lost consciousness after going for a walk, and resuscitation efforts failed, authorities have said.
The Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny has died in jail in central Russia after falling ill during a walk, local authorities have said, adding that an investigation into the exact cause of his death was ongoing. The Kremlin says President Putin has been informed and that it has no information about the cause of death. The prison claimed in an initial statement that Navalny became unwell while out for a walk. At the end of December, Navalny was transferred to the IK-3 penal colony in the far north of Russia, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. The opposition leader had been missing for weeks in the days before. Strong criticism of Putin. Navalny was one of President Putin's best-known opponents. The opposition leader was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport near Moscow in January 2021. A few months earlier he was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok and received treatment in Germany. He served a years-long prison sentence. A Russian court had convicted him of what was called "creating an extremist movement". With his anti-corruption foundation, Navalny has exposed abuses since 2011, such as the construction of a billion-dollar palace on the Black Sea that is said to be owned by President Putin. Hours after his death was reported, Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a security conference in Germany where many world leaders had gathered, and said she had considered canceling her appearance. “But then I thought what Alexei would do in my place. And I’m sure he would be here,” she said, adding she was unsure if she could believe the news from official Russian sources. “But if this is true, I want Putin and everyone around Putin, Putin’s friends, his government to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did to our country, to my family and to my husband. And this day will come very soon.” Praise for Navalny’s bravery poured in from Western leaders and others opposing Putin. Navalny’s health has deteriorated recently and the cause of death may never be known, but many of them said they held Russian authorities ultimately responsible for his death — particularly after the deaths of many Kremlin opponents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Thank you for choosing to make a difference through your donation. We appreciate your support.
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesCategories
All
Archives
April 2024
|