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Biden issued a statement on Navalny's death
February 16, 2024
Updated 5 hours ago
Authorities from the United States and the European Union on Friday (16/2) mourned the death of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent name in the Russian opposition over the last decade, with many pointing to Vladimir Putin's government as a possible culprit.
Nalvany, 47, died in a prison in the Arctic Circle, according to local prison authorities.
He was serving a 19year prison sentence for convictions that were viewed by much of the international community as politically motivated.
Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, gave a press conference in Munich in which she said she didn't know “whether or not to believe this terrible news that we only get from government sources.”
“You all know that we cannot trust the Putin government. She lies all the time,” Julia said.
In an emotional speech, Navalny's wife said that if her husband's death was true, she wanted “Putin and everyone around him, his friends and the government to know that they are responsible for what they did to our country and my family. be held accountable.” and my husband.”
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Regarding the information about her husband's death, Yulia Navalnaya said she did not know “whether to believe or not these terrible news that we only receive from government sources.”
In the US, President Joe Biden also accused the Russian president in a statement: “Putin is responsible for the death of Navalny.”
Biden said he was outraged but not at all surprised by the news.
“God bless Alexei Navalny, his courage will not be forgotten,” said the American.
Earlier, shortly after the news broke, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Navalny's death “underscores the weakness and corruption at the heart of the system built by Putin.”
“First, if these reports are true, our hearts go out to his wife and his family,” Blinken said at a conference also in Munich, adding that “Russia would be responsible” if the death was confirmed.
When asked by American public broadcaster NPR about Navalny's death, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was trying to confirm the exact incident.
“It's a terrible tragedy, and given the Russian government's long and sordid history of harming its opponents, it raises real and obvious questions about what happened here,” Sullivan said on radio Friday morning (February 16).
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also expressed the same sentiment.
“There is nothing Putin fears more than the dissensions of his own people,” he said on the social network X (formerly Twitter), adding that the news was a “dark reminder” of the nature of Putin’s government.
European Council President Charles Michel said the bloc believes the Russian regime bears “sole responsibility” for Navalny’s “tragic death.”
In a post also on
“I extend my deepest condolences to his family. And to everyone who is fighting for democracy in the darkest conditions around the world. Fighters die. But the fight for freedom never ends,” Michel added.
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German Olaf Scholz said the activist “paid for his courage with his life”
Reaction of NATO, France, Germany and the Kremlin’s reaction
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the activist had “paid for his courage with his life.”
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said on X: “(Nalvalny's) death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin's regime.”
Navalny's death was “terrible news,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, adding that he had “shown incredible courage throughout his life.”
BBC News Brasil interviewed Itamaraty and the special adviser to the Brazilian government's presidency about Nalvany's death but had not received comment at the time of publication of this text.
In Russia, the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to the criticism. He said the “Western accusations” about Navalny’s death were “selfevident.”
In a statement on Telegram, Zakharova said that the results of the forensic analysis of Navalny's cause of death are not yet available.
Zakharova said she believes the West has already reached its own conclusions.