The most well-known opposition figure in Russia, Alexei Navalny, passed away on Friday after passing out and fainting at the prison colony north of the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a lengthy sentence, according to the Russian prison service.
The 47-year-old Navalny gained notoriety over ten years ago by making fun of Russian elites, including President Vladimir Putin, whom he charged with widespread greed, extravagance, and corruption.
Navalny “felt unwell” on a stroll at the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, around 1,900 km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, according to a statement from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
It stated that he almost instantly lost consciousness.
“All required resuscitation procedures were performed; however, no beneficial outcomes were obtained. The jail service reported that the cause of death was being determined and that the convict’s death had been confirmed by the ambulance’s doctors.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said that Putin has been informed about Navalny’s passing. In a TV broadcast, Putin—who is seeking reelection in a month—was seen touring a Urals factory.
Navalny’s supporters stated that while they could not verify his death, they thought he had been murdered if he had.
Leonid Volkov, an assistant to Navalny, posted on social media, saying, “Russian authorities publish a confession that they killed Alexei Navalny in prison.” “We do not have any way to confirm it or to prove this isn’t true.”
Western nations quickly expressed their condemnation.
“Alexei Navalny’s terrible news… Tobias Billstrom, the foreign minister of Sweden, stated on X that “if the report about his death in a Russian prison is accurate, it represents another terrible crime by Putin’s regime.”
“The ruthlessness against Navalny shows again why it is necessary to continue to fight against authoritarianism.”
Demise in prison
As Navalny was being taken to the “Polar Wolf” prison in Kharp, his attorney was his route. A press conference held by the central bank was televised by the Russian government.
Dmitry Muratov, a Russian newspaper editor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told Reuters on Friday that he thought Alexei Navalny’s death from beatings was “murder” and that the opposition leader was not given the proper care.
“I firmly believe that Navalny’s death was caused by the conditions of his incarceration… Muratov remarked, “His sentence was enhanced by murder,” extending his sympathies to his family.
Russia’s divided opposition praised Navalny for willingly leaving Germany in 2021 to receive treatment for what Western laboratory testing revealed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.
At the time, Navalny claimed that in August 2020, he was poisoned in Siberia. The Kremlin stated there was no proof he was nerve agent poisoned and denied attempting to kill him.
Reuters questioned Navalny in a 2011 Moscow interview about his fear of opposing Putin’s regime.
“That’s the difference between me and you: you are afraid and I am not afraid,” stated the man. “I realize there is danger, but why should I be afraid?”
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