Leaders of the western countries have reacted angrily to the news of the jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s death. 47-year-old Navalny, a known critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died inside the prison where he was serving his sentence.
US President Joe Biden, himself in the dock for supporting Israeli war crimes in Gaza, tweeted, “Aleksey Navalny’s courage will never be forgotten.
This tragedy – further proof of Putin’s brutality – reminds us of the stakes of this moment. Failure to support Ukraine against his vicious onslaught will never be forgotten.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who too has been accused of having blood of innocent Palestinians on his hands, tweeted, “This is terrible news. As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy.”
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, said that she didn’t know if the the “horrible news” of her husband’s death was true.
In August last year, Navalny was found guilty of founding and funding an extremist organisation, which he denied, and was given an extra 19 years in jail, reported BBC.
There are reports that the Russian security forces had arrested over 100 people, who had assembled after hearing the news of Navalny’s death.