Russian opponent Alexei Navalny calls on Westerners to fight corruption
Russian opponent Alexey Navalny during his trial in Moscow on February 20, 2021. AP - Alexander Zemlianichenko
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Victim of an attempted poisoning, just a year ago, on August 20, 2020, and now imprisoned, Russian opponent Alexei Navalny called on the West to act more decisively against corruption, which he considers to be being at the origin of the great world crises, according to an article published this Thursday, August 19 in several European newspapers.
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The column was published this Thursday in French in
Le Monde
, in English in
The Guardian
and in German in the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
According to Alexeï Navalny, “
corruption has long ceased to be an internal problem
” of authoritarian countries, including Russia, but “
one of the main causes of the global challenges which the West also faces
”.
The Russian opponent calls on the West to raise corruption as a matter of priority importance at international summits and to put this issue on the table during meetings with authoritarian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, even if it is "
embarrassing
", he writes.
Five measures "
realistic, easily applied
er
"
Corruption in authoritarian countries is facilitated by Western financial systems, Navalny says, where stolen money is often transferred.
It offers well in response five measures "
realistic, easily applied
first
."
The opponent proposes, among other things, to create a category of “
countries which encourage corruption
” to make it easier to adopt retaliatory measures. He also suggests introducing a “
transparency obligation
” for Western companies wishing to work with partners in these countries, and founding an organization responsible for “
preventing the export of corruption
”.
“
The bitter truth is that even Western police structures give privileged treatment to corrupt foreigners. With a little political will on the part of the government [and pressure from public opinion], the situation will improve
.
To begin to act [...] it is enough to have the political will, an element which, unfortunately, often lacks
", continues Alexeï Navalny, estimating that"
the public opinion can finally unblock the situation
".
The main opponent of Vladimir Putin is imprisoned until 2023 for failing to respect his judicial review.
He had
returned to Russia
last January from a recovery from suspected poisoning.
The Russian authorities have been working in recent months to
dismantle
its network, notably with the classification of its organizations as "
extremists
" by the courts and the blocking of sites linked to it.
(With
AFP
)
►
See also: Russia: Alexeï Navalny charged with a new charge punishable by prison
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Alexei Navalny
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