Alexey Navalny’s team confirms the death of Putin critic; says his mother is searching for his body

Alexey Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition chief had died at a remote Arctic penal colony and stated he was “murdered,” however it’s unclear the place his physique is.

His loss of life — lower than a month earlier than an election that may give Putin one other six years in energy — has eliminated President Vladimir Putin of his biggest political foe who organised mass anti-Kremlin protests and crusaded towards corruption. It has additionally disadvantaged the Russian opposition of its most well-known politician and sparked a seek for Navalny’s physique, which his group stated was not being returned to his household till official exams are achieved.

An official be aware handed to Navalny’s mom acknowledged that he died at 2:17 p.m. native time Friday, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson stated. She added that an worker of the jail colony stated that Navalny’s physique was taken to the close by metropolis of Salekhard as a part of a probe into his loss of life.

Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Basis, wrote on X, previously Twitter, that Navalny’s mom had been informed by jail officers that her son had perished as a result of “sudden loss of life syndrome” when she arrived at his former penal colony Saturday with one of many politician’s attorneys. 

When a lawyer and Navalny’s mom visited the morgue in Salekhard, it was closed, Navalny’s group wrote on their Telegram channel. The lawyer referred to as the morgue and was informed that Navalny’s physique is just not there, his group stated. One other of Navalny’s attorneys went to Salekhard’s Investigative Committee and was informed that the reason for Navalny’s loss of life had not but been established and that new investigations are being achieved with the outcomes to be launched subsequent week, Yarmysh stated.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, Yarmysh stated, knowledgeable his group that the physique wouldn’t be handed over to his family members till these investigations had been accomplished.

“It is apparent that they’re mendacity and doing every part they will to keep away from handing over the physique,” she wrote on X, including that his group “demand that Alexei Navalny’s physique be handed over to his household instantly.”

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported that Navalny felt sick after a stroll and have become unconscious on the penal colony within the city of Kharp, within the Yamalo-Nenets area about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, however he could not be revived. The reason for loss of life continues to be “being established,” it stated.

Maria Pevchikh, head of the board of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Basis, stated that the opposition chief would “stay on perpetually in tens of millions of hearts.”

“Navalny was murdered. We nonetheless do not know the way we’ll carry on dwelling, however collectively, we’ll consider one thing,” she wrote on X.

Arrests continued Saturday after greater than 100 folks have been detained in various Russian cities Friday after they got here to put flowers in reminiscence of Navalny at memorials to the victims of Soviet-era purges, based on OVD-Information, a bunch that screens political repression in Russia.

The tributes have been eliminated in a single day, however folks continued trickling in with flowers on Saturday. In Moscow, a big group of individuals chanted “disgrace” as police dragged a screaming lady from the gang, video shared on social media confirmed.

Greater than 10 folks have been detained at a memorial in St. Petersburg, together with a priest who got here to conduct a service for Navalny there.

In different cities throughout the nation, police cordoned off a few of the memorials and officers have been taking footage of those that got here and writing down their private information in a transparent intimidation try.

“After the homicide of Alexei Navalny, it is absurd to understand (Russian President Vladimir) Putin because the supposedly authentic head of the Russian state. He’s a thug who maintains energy via corruption and violence,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on the Munich Security Conference in Germany Saturday.

“Simply yesterday he tried to ship us all a transparent message — because the Munich Safety Convention opened, Putin murdered one other opposition chief,” Zelenskyy stated.

U.Ok. International Secretary David Cameron stated Saturday that Britain “will likely be taking motion” towards the Russians liable for the loss of life of Alexei Navalny.

Talking to broadcasters in Munich, Cameron stated “there needs to be penalties” for “appalling human rights outrages like this.” He stated Britain would “take a look at whether or not there are particular person folks which might be accountable and whether or not there are particular person measures and actions we will take.” Cameron didn’t say whether or not the response would consist of monetary sanctions or different measures.

U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Friday that Washington would not know precisely what occurred, “however there isn’t any doubt that the loss of life of Navalny was a consequence of one thing Putin and his thugs did.” 

The Kremlin bristled Friday on the outpouring of anger from world leaders, with Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, saying the statements are “unacceptable” and “outrageous,” noting that medics have not issued their verdict on the reason for Navalny’s loss of life.

Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow to face certain arrest after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was later convicted thrice, saying every case was politically motivated, and acquired a sentence of 19 years for extremism.

After the final verdict, Navalny stated he understood he was “serving a life sentence, which is measured by the size of my life or the size of lifetime of this regime.”

The information of Navalny’s loss of life comes lower than a month earlier than an election that may give President Vladimir Putin one other six years in energy.

It reveals “that the sentence in Russia now for opposition is just not merely imprisonment, however loss of life,” stated Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow for Russia & Eurasia on the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research in London.

Hours after Navalny’s loss of life was reported, his spouse, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a safety convention in Germany the place many world leaders had gathered.

She stated she was uncertain if she might consider the information from official Russian sources, “but when that is true, I would like Putin and everybody round Putin, Putin’s pals, his authorities to know that they’ll bear duty for what they did to our nation, to my household and to my husband.”