Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition leader and Putin critic, dies in prison

Alexei Navalny, leader of the Russian opposition, has died in jail.

He was 47 years of age.

Navalny was one of the staunchest and most visible critics of Vladmir Putin, Russia’s President. The Kremlin, the seat of Russia’s government, said it has no information on the cause of Navalny’s death.

However, according to the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region, where the opposition leader had been serving his sentence, Navalny died after “feeling unwell” and “losing consciousness”.

“On 16 February, 2024, in penal colony No 3, convict AA Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” the statement reads.

“The facility’s medical workers immediately arrived at the scene and an emergency medical team was called in.

“All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out, but they did not yield positive results.

“Emergency medics confirmed the death of the convict.

“The causes of death have been established.”

WHO IS NAVALNY?

Navalny first made global headlines when he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, in 2020.

Nerve agents are highly poisonous chemicals that work by preventing the nervous system from functioning properly.

After returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been receiving treatment, Navalnvy was arrested on a parole violation charge and sentenced to his first of several jail terms that would total more than 30 years behind bars.

Navalny had been very vocal with his displeasure about Putin’s “autocratic” rule, exposing corruption, campaigning against the ruling United Russia party, and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests in recent years.

Edgars Rinkēvičs, president of Latvia, said the Kremlin “brutally murdered” the opposition leader.

“That’s a fact and that is something one should know about the true nature of Russia’s current regime. My condolences to the family and friends,” he added.

The Swedish and Czech Republic governments also accused Putin of using death to silence his opponents.

Here are reactions from other world leaders.

This is terrible news. As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.

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My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy. https://t.co/AQvQQW5GBh

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 16, 2024

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Sincere condolences to the family of @navalny, and to all who cherish freedom. Putin’s regime imprisoned and has now tortured to death one of the last symbols of democracy in Russia. I call on Russia to cease repressing political opposition and release all political prisoners.

— Evika Siliņa 🇱🇻🇺🇦 (@EvikaSilina) February 16, 2024

Dreadful news about Alexei Navalny @navalny If the report about his death in Russian prison is true 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.…

— Tobias Billström (@TobiasBillstrom) February 16, 2024

It’s still the case that just as Russia treats its foreign policy, it treats its citizens. It has turned into a violent state that kills people who dream of a better future, like Nemtsov or now Navalny – imprisoned and tortured to death for standing up to Putin. Rest in peace.

— Jan Lipavský (@JanLipavsky) February 16, 2024