Alexei Navalny’s wife fights back tears as she calls on world to ‘punish’ Putin
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US president Joe Biden has blamed Vladimir Putin for the death in prison of the Russian leader’s fiercest critic, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, at the age of 47.
Paying tribute to the political activist’s bravery, Mr Biden said: “We don’t know exactly what happened to Navalny, but no doubt his death was the consequence of Putin and his thugs.”
It comes as Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed that the Russian opposition figure is dead, ending 24 hours of relative uncertainty.
“His death occurred on 16 February at 2.17pm local time, according to the official message to Alexei’s mother,” Kira Yarmysh wrote on X .
The news came after it was reported that Mr Navalny’s mother was en route to the prison where her son had died this morning.
Ms Yarmysh said that investigators had picked up his body and moved it to Salekhard, a town near the Arctic Circle penal colony within which Mr Navalny had been jailed.
She issued a demand for the return of Mr Nalavny’s body over fears the authorities could tamper with evidence suggesting his murder.
Lord Cameron warns of consequences for Navalny’s death
UK Foreign secretary Lord David Cameron has warned there will be consequences for the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.
Speaking to broadcasters at the Munich Security Conference, the Foreign Secretary said: “Reflecting overnight makes you think what an incredibly brave man this was. His life revealed so much about the true nature of (Vladimir) Putin’s ghastly regime. And his death has revealed that all over again.
“There should be consequences. When appalling human rights outrages like this take place, what we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions we can take. We don’t announce them in advance, so I can’t say anything more than that. But that is what we will be looking at.
“Of course we have already summoned the ambassador and made clear our views about this dreadful event and the way this person was treated.”
France’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Stephane Sejourne (L) and Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference
(AFP via Getty Images)
Tom Watling17 February 2024 10:40
Navalny’s mother travelling to Russian prison where he died – Novaya Gazeta
Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is travelling to the prison colony where he died, accompanied by Navalny’s lawyer, Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper has reported.
Mr Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable domestic opponent, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade sentence, authorities said.
Tom Watling17 February 2024 10:20
Kaja Kallas: The killing of Navalny shows the dictator’s handbook in real life
Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas has said that the killing of Alexei Navalny shows “the dictator’s handbook in real life”.
“This is the way Putin operates,” she told the Munich Security Conference. “This is the dictator’s handbook in real life. So we should be aware of this.
“And like president Zelenskiy said, let’s not discuss how to do something, we have to do everything to stop him. Because history rhymes.
“We have seen this already in the 1930s, the same thing, I mean American isolationism on the one side, this not stopping the aggressor when we have the chance to stop him, and then seeing aggression spread all over the world.
“Let’s do the right thing, let’s learn something from history.”
Tom Watling17 February 2024 10:00
Zelensky accuses Putin of being a ‘thug’ after Navalny death
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has referenced the death of Alexei Navalny during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, branding Vladimir Putin a “thug”.
He told attendees: “Putin kills whoever he wants, be it an opposition leader, or anyone else who seems as the target exactly to him.
“After the murder of Alexei Navalny, it’s absurd to perceive Putin as a supposedly legitimate head of a Russian state and he is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.”
Speaking ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said: “He has just yesterday tried to send us all a clear message as the Munich Security Conference opened, Putin murdered…
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