Geneva, Switzerland
Reuters
A group of more than 40 countries on Monday reiterated calls for Russia to allow an independent international investigation into the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.
The call was made by European Union Ambassador Lotte Knudsen at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on behalf of all 27 EU states and 16 other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ukraine.
People take part in a demonstration near the Russian embassy in Rome, after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Italy, on 16th February, 2024. PICTURE: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File photo
“We are outraged by the death of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, for which the ultimate responsibility lies with President [Vladimir] Putin and the Russian authorities,” Knudsen said.
“Russia must allow an independent and transparent international investigation into the circumstances of his sudden death.”
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on 16th February, sparking accusations from his supporters that he had been murdered.
The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in the death of the opposition leader, who was laid to rest in Moscow on Friday.
Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has launched a procedural investigation into the death, and the Kremlin has said it does not bow to EU demands.
Meanwhile, Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya has thanked the many thousands of Russians who have queued for hours to visit her husband’s grave.
“Many people wonder why Alexei fought so hard and never gave up. For your sake. For the beautiful, brave and honest people who now come in an endless queue to say goodbye to him,” Navalnaya wrote on X on Monday.
“Thank you. This is the true love of the people.”
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Thousands of Navalny’s supporters gathered in Moscow’s Maryino neighbourhood on the day of his funeral last Friday to pay their respects to Russia’s most famous opposition leader.
Defying warnings by President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman against holding unauthorised rallies, many chanted Navalny’s name and slogans such as “Putin is a murderer” and “No to war”. People formed huge queues again over the weekend to visit Navalny’s grave, which lies submerged in flowers.
Yulia Navalnaya has accused Putin of having her husband murdered, and Navalny’s team says it plans to investigate and publish the names of those responsible.
The Kremlin denies any involvement and has declined to comment on Navalny’s funeral, before or since it took place. Navalny’s supporters say the death certificate stated he died of natural causes, something they refuse to accept.
