43 countries call for international investigation into death of Russian adversary

A total of 43 countries, including the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, issued a joint call on Monday for an international investigation into the death of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny in prison.

“We are outraged by the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, for whom the primary responsibility lies with President Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities,” European Union (EU) Ambassador Lotte Knudsen told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, speaking on behalf of him. from 43 countries.

A fierce critic of the Russian head of state, Alexei Navalny, died on February 16 under unclear circumstances in an Arctic colony, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for “extremism”, and was buried on Friday in Moscow.

His death caused a wave of condemnation in the West.

“Russia must authorize an independent and transparent international investigation into the circumstances of this sudden death,” say 43 countries, which consider his death “another sign of growing and systematic repression in Russia.”

These countries call on Russia to release political prisoners, journalists, human rights activists and opponents of the war in Ukraine.

“We call on the Russian Federation to end this climate of impunity and create a safe environment for political opposition and critical voices,” they write.

A vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime and a charismatic anti-corruption advocate, Navalny died at age 47 under circumstances that are still unclear.

Prison officials said he suddenly collapsed after a walk in the Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism, and the death certificate listed a natural cause.

His associates, his widow Yulia Navalnaya and many Western leaders accuse Putin of responsibility for Navalny’s death.

The Russian presidency has rejected such accusations.