More than 300 people were detained in Russia while they were paying their respects to opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a prison colony in the north of the country, AP reports today, referring to today’s announcement by a human rights group.
Izvor: Shutterstock
The sudden death of Navalny, 47, was a heavy blow to many Russians, who pinned their hopes for the future on President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest enemy, the agency said, noting that Navalny remained vocal in his unrelenting criticism of the Kremlin even after surviving nerve agent poisoning. and received multiple prison terms.
The news echoed around the world, and many world leaders blamed Putin and his government for the death, but other politicians took a more cautious stance, reports Fonet.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday that he would not “jump to conclusions” regarding Navalny’s death.
“If the death is suspected, we must first conduct an investigation to find out what caused the citizen (Navaljni) to die,” Lula said at a press conference after returning from the African Union summit in Ethiopia on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalny, posted a picture of the couple on Instagram on Sunday in her first social media post since her husband’s death. The caption simply read, “I love you.”
Hundreds of people in dozens of Russian cities paid their respects to Navalny with flowers and candles at the memorial to the victims of political repression on Friday and Saturday.
In 39 cities, the police detained 366 people by Sunday evening, announced the human rights group OVD-Info, which monitors political arrests and provides legal assistance.
Earlier in the weekend, the group reported 401 cases of detention in two days, but later updated the number and said their numbers “may change both up and down over the next few days” as the information is verified.
More than 200 arrests were made in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, the group said.
Court officials in that city have reported by this evening that the judgments for 85 detainees have ordered a sentence of one to 12 days in prison, according to AP.
(Mondo/agencies)