Following the announced death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, prominent MEPs issued a common statement.
David McAllister (EPP, DE), Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Udo Bullmann (S&D, DE), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, PL), Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and Andrius Kubilius, Standing rapporteur on Russia, issued today the following common statement:
“We are shocked and appalled to learn the news about the announced death of Sakharov Prize laureate Alexei Navalny who sacrificed his life to defend democracy and oppose oppression and corruption in Russia.
Mr Navalny has given us an incredible example of courage. Having already been the victim of an attempted assassination in 2020, he was arrested and sentenced on dubious and politically motivated grounds. Since his arrest, he had been subjected to ill-treatment, torture, arbitrary punishment and psychological pressure. Although imprisoned in inhuman conditions, Alexei Navalny tirelessly and courageously continued his fight, denouncing the corruption of power.
Two days ago, Mr Navalny was placed again in a punitive solitary confinement cell for unspecified reasons, totalling 310 days in solitary confinement. Given his health condition following his poisoning, this ill-treatment amounted to death penalty.
Vladimir Putin is responsible for the tragic fate of Alexei Navalny. One month before the presidential elections, the regime is silencing any voice of opposition. This is beyond any doubt.
The Russian regime must shed light on the circumstances of Mr Navalny’s death if confirmed and immediately free all political prisoners who risk their life in Russian jails, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, Oleg Orlov, Ilya Yashin, Alexei Gorinov, Dmitry Ivanov, Ioann Kurmoyarov, Viktoria Petrova, Maria Ponomarenko, Aleksandra Skochilenko and Dmitry Talantov.”
