As soon as it was known, the death in an Arctic prison of the opponent Alexeï Navalny sparked an avalanche of indignant reactions in Europe and the United States, where tributes to his courage multiplied as well as accusations against Russia of Vladimir Poutine.
But without calls for strengthening sanctions against the Kremlin.
The first American official to react, Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that
“Russia was responsible”
for the situation which led to the death of the main opponent of the Kremlin leader.
An accusation taken up shortly after by the vice-president, Kamala Harris, who sees it as
“a new sign of the brutality”
of Vladimir Putin.
“His disappearance in a Russian prison (…) highlights the weakness and corruption at the heart of the system that Putin built.
Russia is responsible
,” insisted Antony Blinken, from Munich, where he is attending the Security Conference this weekend.
Shedding light on the causes of death
“We will be speaking with many countries affected by this disappearance
,” he added, while national security adviser Jack Sullivan indicated that,
“given the Russian government's long and sordid tendency to harm to his opponents, obvious questions arise about what has just happened
.
According to him, Washington will seek to confirm the information on its side before
“deciding on the course of action”
.
The same demand for truth was expressed by the Secretary General of NATO.
“I am deeply saddened and worried (…), all the facts must be established and Russia must answer serious questions
,” declared Jens Stoltenberg, also present in Munich.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron expressed
“anger and indignation”
, welcoming the
“commitment”
and
“courage”
of Alexeï Navalny.
“In today's Russia, free spirits are put in the gulag and sentenced to death,”
the President of the Republic lambasted on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
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
Also read: What we know about “penal colony number 3” in Siberia where Alexeï Navalny died
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted by calling Vladimir Putin a
“monster”.
“This is a tragedy that reminds the whole world that Putin is a monster.”
According to him, Navalny's death
“really demonstrates the extent to which Putin will repress anyone who fights for the freedom of the Russian people
,” the head of the Canadian government told the public channel CBC.
The European Union also holds
“the Russian regime”
“
solely responsible for the tragic death”
of Alexei Navalny, said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
He
“fought for the values of freedom and democracy.
For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice (…).
The fighters die, but the fight for freedom never stops
,” Charles Michel said in a message on X.
Alexei @navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy.
For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
The EU holds the Russian regime for sole responsibility for this tragic death.
I extend my deepest condolences to his family.
And to those who fight for democracy around…
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) February 16, 2024
A symbol that remains eternal
Same accusatory tone among Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, for whom Vladimir Putin should
“be held accountable for his crimes”.
“It is obvious to me that
(Alexei Navalny)
was killed like thousands of others who were tortured to death because of one person, Putin, who does not care who dies as long as he keeps his position
,” insisted the Ukrainian leader during a joint press conference with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin.
If he said he was
“very saddened”
by the death of the Russian opponent, who
“paid for his courage with his life”
, his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, did not hesitate to affirm that Navalny had been deliberately killed because he represented
“more than any other (…) the symbol of a free and democratic Russia”.
“This is precisely why he had to die
,” she said.
Also read: “Putin strengthened Ukrainian identity and patriotism”
“This is terrible news,”
said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the X network.
“As the most ardent advocate of democracy in Russia, Alexeï Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. »
In Munich, his Foreign Minister, David Cameron, expressed the wish that we hold
“Putin responsible”
for his death.
This is terrible news.
As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.
My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy.
https://t.co/AQvQQW5GBh
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) February 16, 2024
The President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, also did not hesitate to affirm that the Russian opponent was
“brutally assassinated by the Kremlin”
.
“Whatever your opinion of Alexei Navalny as a politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin.
"It's a fact and it's something we need to know about the true nature of Russia's current regime
," Edgars Rinkevics said on the social network X.
Ukraine, the other major fight
Similar accusation is taken up by the head of Polish diplomacy.
Alexei Navalny
“was guilty of defying Vladimir Putin.
(…) He was put in prison, where he stayed in terrible conditions.
Vladimir Putin is responsible for all this
,” Radoslaw Sikorski told the Polish PAP agency.
“Alexei, we will never forget you.
And we will never forgive them
,” added Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“The Russian authorities and President Putin personally are responsible for the disappearance of Alexei Navalny”
, in turn, accused the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, on the X network. The head of Czech diplomacy, Jan Lipavsky, believes that the Russian regime has transformed into
“a violent state that kills people who dream of a better future”
.
As for Norwegian diplomacy, it assures that the Russian government
“bears a heavy responsibility”
for this death.
Read alsoRussia-Ukraine: the dangerous escalation
As the war in Ukraine continues, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo
“stresses that this tragic death underlines why we will continue to support Ukraine
(invaded by Russia since 2022).
Russia will not prevail in Ukraine.”
For his part, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he was
“upset”
by the death of the Russian opponent,
“unjustly imprisoned by the Putin regime for his defense of human rights and democracy”
.
The head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares, affirmed that Madrid
“demanded that the circumstances”
of this death be clarified.
For the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, this disappearance is
“a new warning for the international community”.
“We hope that full light will be shed on this disturbing event.”
If virtually all European and North American countries have condemned the death in custody of Alexeï Navalny, on Friday evening, the so-called “Global South” countries had not yet reacted.