“Not dead, but murdered.” Russia and the world mourn Alexei Navalny

On Friday afternoon, the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Arctic announced Alexei Navalny’s death in his prison in a remote village of Kharp. According to the statement, he became ill after a usual walk, and resuscitation efforts failed.

The precise reasons for Navalny’s death are unclear. The state-run RT channel attributed it to a “detached blood clot,” a cause frequently mentioned in prisoners’ death certificates when there’s no intent to investigate further, as noted by human rights advocate Anna Karetnikova.

Indeed, Navalny’s health issues have been well-documented.

The opposition leader was poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent, in Omsk in 2020, necessitating prolonged medical treatment, with state security operatives implicated in this assassination attempt. Upon his return to Russia from treatment in Germany, Navalny was arrested at a Moscow airport and sent to a penal colony where he had no access to civilian medical care.

By March 2021, Navalny lost the ability to put weight on one leg due to “traveling in a cramped position” during court transfers. He developed spinal issues after being transferred to a Vladimir colony. In December 2022, after Navalny complained, he received unspecified injections. In January 2023, he fell ill after sharing a cell with a roommate “who had issues with personal hygiene.” Throughout 2023, he struggled to receive dental care.

In early December 2023, Navalny lost consciousness due to dizziness. He was soon transferred to penal colony #3 in the Arctic village of Kharp, a three-week journey he described as “quite exhausting.” During his imprisonment, Navalny was frequently placed in solitary confinement cells lacking basic comforts, spending a total of 295 days there.

The Russian government has largely remained silent in the aftermath of Navalny’s death. President Putin, informed of the event, failed to mention his opponent in a subsequent public appearance, while appearing jovial during his work trip. Meanwhile, officials and state media suggest that the West somehow benefits from Navalny’s death.

Alexei’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, was at the Munich Security Conference. “I call upon the international community to unite and defeat this evil, the horrifying regime that is now in Russia. This regime and Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for the terrible things they are doing to my country,” she said in a statement. “We cannot trust Putin’s government, they always lie. But if it’s true, I want Putin, his entire entourage, his friends, his government, to know that they will be held accountable for what they have done to our country, to my family, and to my husband.”

Following Alexei Navalny’s death, international leaders swiftly extended condolences to his family and friends, directly assigning responsibility. US President Joe Biden explicitly stated, “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” labeling the incident as further “proof of Putin’s brutality.” Although Biden had previously cautioned of “devastating” consequences during a 2021 Geneva meeting with Putin if Navalny were to die, he refrained from outlining specific actions the US could take now. Instead, he mentioned the substantial impacts already faced by Russia, including sanctions and military losses stemming from its invasion of Ukraine.

Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement: “The news of Alexei Navalny death is horrible, but it also shows that Putin fears nothing more than the dissent from his own people. Putin and his friends fear nothing more than people that stand up, that speak up. That fight for freedom and that fight against corruption. Like Alexei Navalny did it.”

“The entire Yale World Fellows family is heartbroken by reports that Alexey Navalny, courageous Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption dissident, has died,” stated director of the Yale University-based leadership program Emma Sky. Navalny was a Yale World Fellow from the class of 2010.

According to OVD-Info, a human rights tracker, there were at least 102 arrests in eight cities during memorial events for Alexei Navalny on February 16.