Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny appears through a screen during his appearance before a Russian court (French)
The Russian opposition leader and the most prominent political opponent of the Russian leadership, Alexei Navalny, died on Friday in the Arctic Circle prison, where he was serving a 19-year sentence, according to what the Russian federal prison authorities announced in a statement.
The prison authorities of the Yama Arctic region reported in a statement that, “On February 16, 2024, prisoner Navalny A.A. felt ill after a walk and lost consciousness almost immediately... Ambulance teams confirmed the prisoner’s death and the causes of death are being ascertained.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Russian Prison Service is investigating all the circumstances of the death of prominent opposition politician Alexei Navalny, but he has no information about the matter.
The Russian TASS news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Navalny was arrested in Russia in January 2021, upon his return to the country after receiving treatment in Germany as a result of a poisoning that the Kremlin is accused of being behind. He was sentenced in March 2022 to 9 years in prison on “fraud” charges, but he confirms that they were fabricated.
In August, a Russian court sentenced him to an additional 19 years in prison on charges of “extremism,” while the European Union condemned the ruling and called on Moscow to release him “immediately.”
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies