More than 40 countries, on Monday (Mar 4) called for an independent international investigation into the death of Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The countries also said that “ultimate responsibility” lies with President Vladimir Putin and Russian officials.
‘We are outraged’
The demand for an international probe into Navalny’s death by 43 countries was led by the European Union (EU) during the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
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“We are outraged by the death of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, for which the ultimate responsibility lies with President Putin and the Russian authorities,” said EU ambassador Lotte Knudsen at the UNHRC.
The call by the EU official was made on behalf of 27 countries of the EU bloc and 16 other countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ukraine.
“Russia must allow an independent and transparent international investigation into the circumstances of his sudden death,” Knudsen added.
Navalny’s death weeks ahead of the Russian presidential election where Putin is running virtually unopposed for his fifth term which will keep him in power until 2030.
The EU official also said that the Kremlin critic’s “unexpected and shocking death is yet another sign of the accelerating and systematic repression in Russia.”
The 43 nations expressed concerns about the “systematic crackdown on civil society” and repression of political opposition in Russia and abroad.
Furthermore, the countries called for an immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, human rights activists, journalists, and those who have been jailed for speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia’s political leadership and authorities must be held to account,” said Knudsen.
Russia’s Investigative Committee says it has launched a procedural investigation into the death and the Kremlin has said it does not bow to EU demands.
About Navalny’s death
Navalny, 47, who was Putin’s fiercest critic inside Russia, died last month in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving a lengthy prison sentence. The circumstances surrounding the Russian opposition leader’s death sparked outrage across the world and within Russia.
On Monday, when asked about Navalny’s funeral which drew thousands of people to the streets of the capital city of Moscow last Friday (Mar 1), the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Kremlin has “nothing more to say on this subject”.
Thousands of Russians chanted Navalny’s name as he was being laid to rest in Moscow on March 1 and said they would never forgive the authorities.
“Navalny’s courage, sacrifice and unwavering commitment to the cause of justice, freedom and democracy will never be forgotten,” said Knudsen.
(With inputs from agencies)
