The sudden death of the opponent Alexei Navalny has been followed by a wave of tributes to his legacy in Russia, where government authorities have deployed dozens of police operations in multiple cities. More than 400 people have been arrested for participating in the memorials and 150 have been sentenced to “short terms” in prison. Meanwhile, Navalny's family remains unaware of the whereabouts of his remains, or the cause of his death.
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Around 32 Russian cities hosted events in honor of Navalny throughout the weekend, after prison authorities announced the death of the 47-year-old lawyer after “falling unconscious” in the middle of a morning walk in the vicinity of a prison in the arctic, where he was locked up serving an accumulated sentence of three decades, for various charges, including “extremism.”
Citizens who took to the streets to show their respect for the politician's life, carrying flowers and photographs in their tributes, faced a harsh police response, which has led to the arrest of 401 people throughout the weekend, according to reports. OVD-Info, human rights group in Russia.
The authorities sentenced at least 150 people to what they described as “short sentences”, that is, to spend days in prison, for participating in the tributes. Most of the arrests were made in Saint Petersburg, with more than 200 detained. In Moscow, Krasnodar and Bryansk, arrests or fines have also been reported to serve the prison sentence.
This series of mass arrests is the largest since 2022, when more than 1,000 people were arrested for demonstrating against the mobilization of 'reservists' to the ranks of the Russian Army to go to the battlefront in Ukraine.
Navalny's widow will attend a session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council
Far from Russia, Navalny's death continues to provoke numerous reactions.
This February 18, Joseph Borrell, high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, confirmed the attendance of Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, at the meeting that the 27 EU foreign ministers will hold. on Monday, February 19 in Brussels.
“On Monday I will welcome Yulia Navalnaya to the EU Foreign Affairs Council. EU ministers will send a strong message of support to freedom fighters in Russia and honor Alexei's memory,” wrote the European diplomat in a message, through your X account.
Borrell had already expressed his discontent with the death of the Russian opponent in recent days, having met with Navalnaya the same day her husband's death was announced. After the meeting, the head of European diplomacy pointed out that Putin was “responsible for the murder” of Navalny.
On Monday, I will welcome Yulia Navalnaya at the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
EU Ministers will send a strong message of support to freedom fighters in Russia and honor the memory of Alexi @navalny.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) February 18, 2024
Yulia Navalnaya, who had already spoken publicly about her husband's death during her participation in the Munich Security Conference, also reappeared on social networks, where she published a photo with Alexei Navalny.
Navalny's body remains missing
Official mystery and secrecy continue to haunt Navalny even after his death. The mother of the Russian opponent, accompanied by her lawyer, has requested the body of her deceased son from the prison authorities on numerous occasions since her death was reported, although they have refused to authorize the transfer of the body. same.
In addition, more than 29,000 people have written petition letters to the Kremlin so that Navalny's remains be handed over to his relatives, according to information from OVD-Info.
President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the issue, and other officials in his government simply say that the exact causes of Navalny's death are still being investigated. The bunker of opposition allies of the deceased politician affirms that the deplorable conditions of the prison where Navalny was held could have been the cause of his death.
Between accusations from the West and citizen unrest within its borders, the Kremlin has preferred to remain silent, momentarily, on the death of what was perhaps the only political figure capable of challenging Putin's Government.
With AP, EFE and Reuters
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