“Horrified by the death of Sakharov Prize laureate Alexei Navalny. Russia took his freedom and his life, but not his dignity. His struggle for democracy lives on. Our thoughts are with his wife and his children,” wrote Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, after the Russian authorities informed about the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. She noted that the world has lost a fighter whose courage will echo through generations, IPN reports.
European Council President Charles Michel condemned Russia for Alexei Navalny’s death. “Alexei Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice,” Charles Michel posted on X. “The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “obvious” that Putin was behind Navalny’s death. “It is obvious: he was killed by Putin, as thousands of others were tortured and martyred by this one ‘creature’. Putin does not care who dies as long as he keeps his position,” said Zelenskyy, being quoted by RBC-Ukraine.
“This is terrible news,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on X. “As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy.”
Meduza.io quoted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as saying: “I met Navalny here in Berlin when he was trying to recover in Germany from the poisoning attack and also talked to him about the great courage it takes to return to his country. And he has probably now paid for this courage with his life.”
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitri Muratov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta, said that Navalny’s death was “murder” brought on by his mistreatment in prison, according to ziare.com.
Navalny, 47, was serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges in a remote penal colony above the Artic Circle at the time of his death. He has been behind bars since he returned from Germany in January 2021, serving time on various charges that he rejected as a politically motivated effort to keep him imprisoned for life.
