Eduardo González/Julio García (Aquí Europa)
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, yesterday regretted the death in prison of the Russian opponent Alexei Navalny and demanded “clarification of the circumstances of his death.”
“Shocked by the news of the death in prison of Alexei Navalny, unjustly imprisoned by the Putin regime for his defense of human rights and democracy,” declared Pedro Sánchez through his official account on the social network X. “My condolences to his family and friends and to all those in Russia who defend democratic values and pay the highest price for it,” he added.
“Deeply shocked by the death of Alexei Navalny,” wrote José Manuel Albares on the same social network. “We demand clarification of the circumstances of his death, which occurred during his unjust imprisonment for political reasons,” he warned. “Our condolences to his family and support to those who work for freedom,” he added.
The Russian agency RIA Novosti has confirmed the death of the opponent of Vladimir Putin’s regime in the prison where he had been since last December. According to Russian media, Navalny felt unwell after a walk and immediately lost consciousness. The official statement from the Russian penitentiary services assured that Navalny, 47, “was carried out with the necessary resuscitation procedures, which did not give any results. Emergency doctors confirmed the death of the condemned man. The causes of death are being established.”
Alexei Navalny, awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Conscience by the European Parliament in 2021, was imprisoned in early 2021 when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been hospitalized after being poisoned in the summer of 2020. He was considered the main opponent of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who has persecuted his circle of collaborators and outlawed his foundations.
At the beginning of 2021, the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, traveled to Russia to, among other objectives, demand the release of the dissident. That triggered tension with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, who compared his situation with that of the Catalan independentists, imprisoned at that time.
Reactions in the EU
Precisely, Borrell yesterday appeared “shocked by media reports about the death of Alexey Navalny, a very brave man who dedicated his life to saving the honor of Russia, giving hope to democrats and civil society.” “While we wait for more information, let us be clear: this is Putin’s sole responsibility,” he declared, through the social network X. “I have met with Yulia Navalnya to express the EU’s solidarity in this horrible moment,” Borrell announced in another post. “Putin is responsible for the murder and he will be held accountable,” he concluded.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also blamed Russia for the death of Alexei Navalny. “The European Union considers the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death,” he wrote in a post on the social network X. Michel also recalled that Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy and that “he made the ultimate sacrifice for his ideals.” “Combatants die. But the fight for freedom never ends,” Michel said.
The president of the European Union, Ursula Von der Leyen, for her part, was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the death of the Russian opponent and called to continue fighting to “safeguard the freedom and security of those who dare to confront autocracy.” Navalny’s death, she said, is a “grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are about.”
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also expressed her horror at the death of the Russian opposition leader and assured that “Russia has taken her freedom and her life, but not her dignity.” “The world has lost a fighter whose courage will resonate for generations. I am horrified by the death of Sakharov Prize winner Alexei Navalny. Russia has taken his freedom and his life, but not his dignity. His fight for democracy is still alive. Our thoughts are with his wife and his children,” Metsola wrote in a message on X.
Also on the social network X, Belgian Prime Minister (and acting president of the EU Council), Alexandre de Croo, stated that Navalny was a defender of democracy and human rights. “His tragic death once again underlines why we will continue to support Ukraine. “Russia will not prevail over Ukraine,” he declared. “Our thoughts are with Navalny’s family and friends and with all the brave Russian prisoners,” he added.
