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LAST UPDATE | 16 Feb 2024
RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER Alexei Navalny has died in prison, according to the Russian prison service.
Navalny mobilised huge anti-government protests against Vladimir Putin before being jailed in 2021. He was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent the previous year and accused Putin of being behind the attack – something the Kremlin denied.
The prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region, in North-Western Russia said in a statement that Navalny “felt bad after a walk” and almost immediately lost consciousness.
“Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called. Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results,” it said.
The statement added that paramedics at the scene confirmed the death of the jailed political leader and that the”causes of death are being established”.
Navalny spent most of his detention at the IK-6 penal colony in the Vladimir region, some 250 kilometres east of Moscow. The prison is in an isolated region of north-west Russia.
In August he was transferred to a “special regime” facility – an Arctic penal colony – near the same location but further north and above the Arctic circle.
In the new facility, any letters that were sent took much longer to reach Navalny as the correspondence would go through the regular postal service rather than email.
A spokesperson for the Kremlin today said Putin was informed of Navalny’s death. The exiled team of the Russian opposition leader said no confirmation of Navalny’s death was provided to them.
They added that a lawyer is going to the Arctic prison where he is said to have died.
Navalny in 2007 began anti-corruption campaigns through his personal blog. In order to share information, he purchased shares in multiple state-owned oil companies in order to access the company records.
The political campaigner continued his blog until 2011, where he set up the Anti-Corruption Foundation and exposed a vast riches amassed by Kremlin elites.
Navalny led many protests with thousands of Russians against Putin and the Kremlin. Many of these protests led to his arrest and short periods in jail.
In 2013, Navalny was convicted of defrauding the local Kirov government, in western Russia, of 16 million rubles (€450,000 – at the time) in a timber deal while acting as an advisor to the governor. Navalny denounced the conviction.
Later that year, the campaigner launched a bid to be the Mayor of Moscow, finishing in second place behind a Kremlin-backed candidate. In late 2014, Navalny led major protests again in Moscow.
He continued exposing and denouncing what he described as Russian elitism through his online posts and protests between 2013 and 2017. Throughout this time he was jailed on a number of occasions for leading and taking part in protests.
In 2017, his campaign to run for President of Russia was blocked by the Kremlin due to his 2013 conviction. Navalny led huge protests, larger than previous ones, against Putin and urges the public to boycott the election in the months after.
In 2020, Navalny was hospitalised in Siberia and placed in a medically induced coma after losing consciousness during a flight. He was transferred to a hospital in Berlin, where tests show he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
He accused Putin of being behind his poisoning, the Kremlin denies these claims.
In early 2021, Navalny returned to Russia voluntarily and was arrested and jailed for breaking the restrictions of his 2013 suspended sentence. Russian doctors had brought him to Germany to recover from the poisoning, despite the fact it was against the restrictions.
Thousands were arrested in Russia after protesting the arrest. In 2022 he was charged with more counts of embezzlement and sentenced to nine years in prison. Navalny lost all of his appeals.
In August, a gaunt Navalny, who spent much of his prison sentence in the harshest of conditions, was sentenced to a further 19 years at an even-harsher “special regime” prison, under charges of “extremism”.
Towards the end of last year, friends of Navalny raised the alarm after not hearing from him for six days. He later reemerged via video link from his prison cell, claiming to be in good health and “fine”.
Navalny was transferred to an Arctic penal colony, but not the one originally prescribed in the August sentencing. Allies suggested his transfer was linked to the upcoming presidential election in Russia.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described Navalny’s death as “terrible news”.
“As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life,” Sunak said on X, formerly Twitter, sending his regards and thoughts to Navalny’s wife.
Leader of the British Labour Party, Keir Starmer said the Russian activist displayed “incredible, impossible courage in his fight for Russian democracy”, adding that his death is “terrible news” for the Russian people.
“My thoughts are with his friends and family, as well as his supporters across the world,” Starmer said on X.
The White House joined reactions, with hesitancy, saying the death would be a “terrible tragedy”, if confirmed. The executive’s security advisor told national radio that “real and obvious” questions should be raised with the Kremlin around the death.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Council President Charles Michel called for the circumstances around Navalny’s death to be clarified.
Michel said on X: “Alexei Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.”
He added that the EU holds the Russian regime “responsible for this tragic death” .
Also on X, President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola said the world “has lost a fighter whose courage will echo through generations”, attached with an image of the opposition leader. She added that she is “horrified” by the news of Navalny’s death.
“Russia took his freedom & his life, but not his dignity. His struggle for democracy lives on. Our thoughts are with his wife & children,” she added.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply disturbed and saddened” by the news. She added that the death reflects a “grim reminder” of what Putin and his regime are “all about”.
Deeply disturbed and saddened by news of the death of Alexei Navalny.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 16, 2024
Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people.
A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about.
Let's unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to… pic.twitter.com/YoIbS7XbdX
“Let’s unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy,” she said.
Zelensky had strong words for the Kremlin, telling reporters in Germany that Putin must be held responsible for the death of the political leader.
“Obviously he was killed by Putin. Like thousands of others who have been tortured,” said Zelensky, adding that this demonstrates why Putin must be made to “lose everything and held accountable for his actions”.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition leader said she was “shocked” by the announcement of Navalny’s death. “This tragedy is further proof that for dictators, human life holds no value,” she said.
She urged world leaders to protect political prisoners, including her blogger husband who was jailed in May 2020, who she says are “in great danger”.
Contains reporting from © AFP 2024
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