The politically motivated proceedings against Alexei Navalny and numerous other government critics and the inhumane prison conditions show the means by which Russian President Vladimir Putin is suppressing freedom of expression, said a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office. “We condemn this in the strongest possible terms and expressly demand the release of all those imprisoned in Russia for political reasons,” she emphasized. The spokeswoman said it was shocking that people in many Russian cities had been arrested while laying flowers for Navalny. There were 380 arrests in 39 cities over the weekend alone.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit emphasized that Navalny’s death must be dealt with independently. “We call on the Russian authorities to fully clarify the circumstances of his death and release the body for an independent investigation into the death.” Navalny’s death shows that President Putin “lacks any respect for human life,” said Hebestreit. This can be seen “every day” in the Russian conduct of the war in Ukraine. The government spokesman called on the Russian leadership to end “the unacceptable persecution of political dissidents as well as the systematic suppression of human rights and the inadmissible restriction of civil rights.”
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Navalny collapsed and died in a penal colony in the Arctic Circle on Friday. He was to serve a three-decade sentence in the notorious prison. The 47-year-old has long been an opponent of the Russian president. He has been in prison in Russia since 2021.
Christian Lindner: “Nawalny was tortured to death by Putin”
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In 2020, the opposition politician survived a poison attack. After successful treatment in Germany, he returned to Russia and was immediately imprisoned.
Serious accusations from the widow
Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya meanwhile blames Putin for her husband’s death. “Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband,” Navalnaya said in a video message. With Navalny, Putin wanted to “kill our hope, our freedom, our future,” she added, close to tears.
Julia Navalnaya during her appearance on Friday at the Munich Security Conference 2024 Image: KAI PFAFFENBACH/AFP
The widow also accused the Russian authorities of withholding her husband’s body. The authorities waited until there were no more traces of the Novichok nerve agent. Navalnaya promised to continue her husband’s work. “I will continue to fight for the freedom of our country,” she announced, calling on his followers to “stand with me.” Navalnaya had stood by her husband in his fight against Putin for ten years.
Kremlin rejects criticism
The Russian government sees the outrage of many Western countries over the sudden death of the opposition figure as “repugnant.” “We consider it absolutely unacceptable to make such, well, frankly disgusting statements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. But the criticism will have no effect on President Putin. Peskov evaded a question about Putin’s statement on Navalny’s death: “I have nothing to add.” In response to a question about the expected duration of the investigation into the causes of Navalny’s death, the spokesman simply said that the investigation would be carried out in accordance with legal regulations. “All necessary measures are being taken,” said Peskov.
When asked about the whereabouts of Navalny’s body, Peskov emphasized that he could not say when it would be handed over to the family. This is not a matter for the presidential administration. Navalny’s family members were denied access to his body for the third day in a row on Monday.
It is still unclear where Navalny’s body is. The Novaya Gazeta magazine, citing an unnamed informant, reported that the body was taken to a hospital in the Salekhard district. He had bruises. These are indications of a type of seizure and cardiac massages for resuscitation.
kle/se (afp, rtr, epd, dpa)