The gesture is strong.
The French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Lévy paid tribute to Alexei Navalny in Moscow, even though more than 150 people were sentenced for gathering in the capital during the weekend in memory of the political opponent.
“French Ambassador Pierre Lévy paid tribute to Alexeï Navalny at the Solovki stone
,” the French embassy in Russia said on its X account.
This monument, located in Moscow not far from the headquarters of the Russian intelligence services (FSB), was erected from the remains of a gulag on the islands of the same name in the White Sea, far north of Moscow.
It is dedicated to victims of political repression, particularly from the Soviet era.
In absolute silence, hundreds of Muscovites had already marched all day Saturday to lay flowers in tribute to Alexeï Navalny, who died the day before.
Named
“Wall of Mourning”
, the monument had collected hundreds of flowers, portraits of the opponent and candles.
“We will never forget, we will never forgive”
,
“Russia will be free”
,
“Who is next?”
,
“His heart beat for all of us, nothing is over
,” could we read on signs placed among the flowers.
Russian justice this weekend sentenced at least 150 people arrested during tributes to opponent Alexeï Navalny to prison terms, for having violated the strict legislation governing demonstrations, according to court data on Sunday.
In St. Petersburg alone, in the northwest, judges on Saturday and Sunday sentenced 154 of them to terms of up to 14 days in prison, according to decisions made public by the courts' press service of this city, the second largest in Russia.
Read also Death of Navalny: his widow Yulia Navalnaïa takes up the torch of resistance to Putin
The tribute paid by the ambassador is therefore a strong political choice.
Emmanuel Macron had already spoken unequivocal words after the announcement of Navalny's death.
“It reminds us in the most tragic way of the reality of the Kremlin regime and its hardening
,” he declared last Friday.
“Basically a form of impunity has taken hold.
Kill an opponent, they do it.
Ban the other candidates (in an election), they do it
,” he asserted without going so far as to explicitly accuse the Kremlin of having deliberately eliminated Alexeï Navalny.
Russia
“puts its free spirits in the gulag”
and “sentences them
to death”
there , he continued.
The death of Alexei Navalny
“reveals the weakness of the Kremlin and the fear of any opponent
,” he also pointed out.