Alexey Navalny’s death sparks outrage around the world

The untimely death of Alexey Navalny, often described as Russia’s most ardent critic, sent shockwaves around the world and a wave of indignation. Navalny died in a Russian colony inside the Arctic Circle. According to the Russian Prison Service, he was 47 years old.

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny is dead, prison service says.

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— CNN (@CNN) February 16, 2024

Prison officials said Navalny fell ill after a walk on Friday, and lost consciousness almost instantly. Navalny could not be saved despite rapid intervention by medical staff and intensive attempts at resuscitation. The authorities announced the opening of an investigation into the exact cause of death.

Mr. Navalny’s death, which was revealed just one day after he appeared in good health via video link during a court appearance, has aroused the suspicions of his supporters and observers around the world.

International reaction was swift and severe. France condemned Mr. Navalny’s death, calling it the price to be paid for resisting Russian oppression. Norway’s foreign minister held the Russian authorities responsible. White House officials and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern, describing Navalny’s death as a glaring tragedy that reflects the weakness and decadence at the heart of the system built by Mr. Putin.

Alexey Navalny had been an irritant to the Kremlin for more than a decade.

He was serving a 19-year sentence for charges that were widely dismissed as political. His bold denunciations of Putin’s alleged personal wealth evolved into a broader campaign to free Russia from Putin’s yoke, positioning him as an icon of hope for the future of democracy in Russia.

Alexey Navalny’s death comes just a month before important elections are due to be held in Russia, and there is no opposition to Mr. Putin.

In 2018, Navalny was nearly killed in a nerve agent attack linked to Russia’s FSB. After returning from Germany in 2021 and convalescing, Navalny was immediately taken into custody, with a prison sentence that his supporters see as an attempt by the Kremlin to permanently silence him.

Human rights activists express dismay at the harsh punishments meted out to Mr. Navalny, including the excessive use of solitary confinement. Even behind bars, his unwavering activism continued until his death.

It remains to be seen what the consequences of Navalny’s death will be, but this event represents a turning point for the Russian political opposition, as well as for the way in which international opinion perceives Russian politics under Vladimir Putin.