David Cameron says Russian state fabricated charges against Navalny, while Antony Blinken says his demise ‘underscores the rot’ in Putin’s RussiaAlexei Navalny: UK and US hit out at Putin over critic’s death in prison – live
UK and US hit out at Putin over Navalny’s death
The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, has said Vladimir Putin “should be accountable” for Alexei Navalny’s death – saying the Russia state under Putin “fabricated charges […] poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony”
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, earlier said (12.19 GMT) Navalny had demonstrated “incredible courage”.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has meanwhile said that reports of Alexei Navalny’s death “underscore the weakness and rot at the heart” of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
First and foremost, if these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife and his family. Beyond that, his death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this.
We’ll be talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports bear out to be true.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, said:
We’ve all just received reports that Alexei Navalny has died in Russia. This is of course terrible news, which we are working to confirm. My prayers are with his family, including his wife, Yulia, who is with us today. And if confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin’s brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible and we will have more to say about this later.
Here’s how Russian state TV announced Alexei Navalny’s death.
TV Channel 1 said he died after feeling unwell following a walk
Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House foreign affairs committee said of Navalny:
I hope that out of his death will come something to send a message to the world and to the American people about who Mr Putin really is – not to have this charm offensive that Mr Putin is somehow a misunderstood man. His intentions are very clear to me.
As a traditional national security conservative, McCaul is at odds with Maga Republicans who are loyal to Donald Trump, a Putin admirer, and who follow media figures like Tucker Carlson, who this week did a softball interview with Putin and broadcast from Russian supermarkets giving a rosy depiction of Russian life.
McCaul was sceptical on whether the dissident’s death would bring any closer a vote on a supplemental budget bill that would resume US arms supplies to Ukraine, currently being held up by the Republican leadership.
Asked whether Republican members of congress might be moved to change their minds on the issue by Navalny’s death in prison, he replied:
Well, to the extent members of Congress know who he is.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said the death of Alexei Navalny reminds the world what a “monster” Vladimir Putin is.
He told CBC Radio:
He was such a strong fighter for democracy, for freedoms for the Russian people.
It really shows the extent to which Putin… will crack down on anyone who is fighting for freedom for the Russian people.
It is a tragedy and it’s something that has the entire world being reminded of exactly what a monster Putin is.
The UN human rights office urged the Russian authorities to ensure that a credible investigation into the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison was carried out.
Spokesperson Liz Throssell said:
If someone dies in the custody of the state, the presumption is that the state is responsible – a responsibility that can only be rebutted through an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation carried out by an independent body.
We urge the Russian authorities to ensure such a credible investigation is carried out.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a procedural probe into the death, the Investigative Committee said.
Throssell said:
We call on the Russian authorities to end the persecution of politicians, human rights defenders and journalists, among others.
All those who are held or have been sentenced to various prison terms in relation to the legitimate exercise of their rights, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, should be immediately released and all charges against them.
Scores of attacks, including assassinations, abductions and assaults, were perpetrated by 25 governments last year against people outside their borders, new analysis reveals.
Data from the Washington DC-based pro-democracy organisation Freedom House reveals that the governments of Russia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkmenistan and China were the biggest five perpetrators of transnational repression in 2023.
Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House, said: “The phenomenon of authoritarians striking down dissidents who have sought refuge abroad is not going away. Democracies will have to do more, and soon, to protect their sovereignty and their fundamental values.”
The first known cases of transnational repression sanctioned by the governments of Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Myanmar, Sierra Leone and Yemen also took place last year.
Forty-four countries – more than a fifth of the world’s national governments – have reached beyond their borders over the past decade in an attempt to forcibly silence exiled political activists, journalists, former regime insiders and members of ethnic or religious minorities.
The analysis reveals that, in total, 125 physical attacks – which also included detentions and unlawful deportation – were ordered by states against individuals based abroad during 2023.
The Russian government was responsible for at least 18 documented incidents of transnational repression last year. The Kremlin targeted anti-war activists and other Russian defectors in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan among others, with victims facing renditions or deportation.
Read more here:
There has been some reactions from US politicians although we still haven’t heard from Joe Biden.
House foreign affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement regarding reports on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
He said:
If confirmed, the death of Alexei Navalny is a tragedy. He was a voice for a better Russia amid the corruption and brutality of Putin’s genocidal regime.
The Kremlin must be held to account for this outrage.
Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, issued a statement from the Munich Security Conference.
He said Navalny’s death is “not just a tragedy for the Russia people, but a profound loss felt across the international community”.
He said he was “a beacon of hope for millions” inspiring those who “bravely fight for freedom in the face of tyranny”.
He said:
While the loss of Navalny is a stunning blow for the world, his legacy will undoubtedly endure as a symbol of resilience, courage, and hope.
The need for the international community to stand in solidarity with those who fight for democracy and human rights could not be more urgent.
As we mourn this loss, we cannot shrink from our collective responsibility to hold accountable those who seek to silence dissent through violence and repression.
In Alexei Navalny’s memory, let us today recommit ourselves to the pursuit of a world where freedom, justice, and human dignity prevail.
Senator Thom Tillis, who is one of the 22 Republicans who voted to approve aid to Ukraine, has also released a statement and has not minced words about Republicans who kowtow to the Kremlin.
He said:
Navalny laid down his life fighting for the freedom of the country he loved.
Putin is a murderous, paranoid dictator. History will not be kind to those in America who make apologies for Putin and praise Russian autocracy.
Nor will history be kind to America’s leaders who stay silent because they fear backlash from online pundits.
Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny’s wife, took the stage at the Munich Security Conference. Here’s a longer transcript of what she said.
She said:
I thought, ‘should I stand here before you or should I go back to my children’? And then I thought, ‘what would have Alexei done in my place’? And I’m sure that he would have been standing here on this stage.
I’m don’t know should believe the terrible news we get, the news we get only from the official media, because for many years – and you know all this – we have been in this situation, we cannot believe Putin and his government, they are lying constantly.
She added:
But if it is the truth, I would like Putin and all his staff – everybody around him, his government, his friends – I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband.
They will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.
And would like to call upon all the international community, all the people in the world, we should come together and we should fight against this evil.
We should fight this horrific regime in Russia today. This regime and Vladimir Putin should be personally held responsible for all the atrocities they have committed in our country the last year.
Navalnaya then got a standing ovation from the audience of leaders and senior officials.
Russia calls on US to ‘show restraint’ over Navalny’s death
Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the United States should show restraint before accusing Russia of Alexei Navalny’s death, TASS reported.
The ministry said the US should wait for the results of the forensic medical examination.
In his final appearance before his death, Alexei Navalny looked healthy during a video-link court appearance.
Speaking from prison, he complained about the frequent fines he had to pay and asked the judge to send him some money ‘as my own is running out thanks to your decisions’.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has posted a simple but strong message on X.
He said that Alexei Navalny would never be forgotten, adding: “And we will never forgive them.”
Alexey, we will never forget you. And we will never forgive them.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) February 16, 2024
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