International-News

Anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death: Moscow honours Kremlin opponent

Hundreds of people gathered at the Borisov cemetery to commemorate Russian activist Alexei Navalny, who died a year ago in prison. International diplomats and supporters call for justice

On 16 February 2024, Russian activist Alexei Navalny, one of the best-known opponents of the Kremlin, died at the age of 47 while in a Russian prison. Today, on the first anniversary of his death, hundreds of people gathered in Moscow to pay homage to his memory.

At the Borisov cemetery, where Navalny is buried, not only individuals and small groups came, but also entire families with children. Flowers were laid on his grave, while the police, while granting entry to those present, filmed the entire ceremony. Among the participants were also high-level diplomats, such as US Ambassador Lynne Tracy and EU Ambassador Roland Galharague, according to the Dpa news agency.

In its tribute to Navalny, the EU pointed its finger at President Vladimir Putin and the Russian authorities, considering them to be primarily responsible for his death. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, recalled how Navalny sacrificed his life for a free and democratic Russia, saying that ‘while Russia intensifies its war of aggression against Ukraine, it also continues its internal repression against those fighting for democracy’. Kallas also called for the immediate release of Navalny’s lawyers and all political prisoners unjustly detained in Russia.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also remembered Navalny on X, stressing that ‘Navalny died because he was fighting for democracy and freedom in Russia’. Scholz reiterated that Navalny’s fight was courageous and that his work had left an indelible mark, surpassing his own death.

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