The Head of State pays tribute to Alexeï Navalny.
Emmanuel Macron expressed “anger and indignation” on Friday after the death of the Russian opponent, who died at the age of 47 in prison, whose “commitment” and “courage” he praised.
“In today's Russia, we put free spirits in the gulag and condemn them to death,” reacted the French president on the social network X. “Thoughts for his family, his loved ones and for the people Russian,” he added.
In today's Russia, free spirits are put in the gulag and sentenced to death.
Anger and indignation.
I salute the memory of Alexeï Navalny, his commitment, his courage.
Thoughts for his family, his loved ones and for the Russian people.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 16, 2024
The Kremlin's number one opponent died, according to the authorities, in his Arctic prison, a death which comes one month before the presidential election which should once again cement the power of Vladimir Putin.
His death after three years of detention and a poisoning for which he accused the Kremlin deprives an already bloodless opposition of its figurehead, the Kremlin having orchestrated a merciless repression of all its detractors, in particular since the start of its assault against the Ukraine two years ago.
The Russian authorities provided almost no details on the conditions of Navalny's death, limiting themselves to a terse press release to ensure that they had done everything to resuscitate the opponent, whose health was weakened by his poisoning and his imprisonment, after feeling unwell.
Outrage in the West
Aged 47, Alexeï Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism” in a remote penal colony in the Arctic, in very difficult conditions.
His multiple trials had been widely denounced as political and a way of punishing him for his opposition to Vladimir Putin.
The announcement of his death sparked outrage in the West, with the EU pointing out the sole responsibility of the “Russian regime” and certain countries citing a crime by Vladimir Putin.
The EU holds “the Russian regime” “solely responsible for the tragic death” of Alexeï Navalny, declared the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
Read alsoDeath of Alexeï Navalny: the “Arctic Wolf” penal colony, a terrible grave for the Russian opponent
The French political class also condemned, from France Insoumise to the National Rally and with varying intensity, the death of the opponent.