Tribute to Navalnyi, support for Ukraine
The death in prison of the Russian political activist Aleksei Navalnyi has triggered a wave of international reactions.
Leyla Cheamil and Daniel Bilț, 19.02.2024, 10:50
The news that Aleksei Navalnyi, the main critic of the Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, had a sudden death in the Arctic Circle prison where he was serving, just a month before the election in Russia, has triggered a wave of reactions around the world. Political activist, Navalnyi, 47, collapsed after a walk at the Polar Wolf penal colony, one of Russia’s northernmost and toughest, located 1.900 km north-east of Moscow, where the activist was serving a 19 year sentence.
According to the authorities, Navalnyi’s death was caused by a blood clot, but his family was denied access to his dead body. The Western leaders together with US president Joe Biden have paid tribute to the political activist for his courage.
The opposition and the Russian independent press as well as Western ministries have more or less blamed the Russian president for having ordered the death of Navalnyi, who used to be Kremlin’s number one enemy for 15 years. In turn, Moscow considers the West’s reaction to Navalnyi’s death as unacceptable and obnoxious.
The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and other dignitaries have voiced sadness for Aleksei Navalnyi’s death. ‘The international community has lost a brave warrior for freedom and rights’ the Romanian president said adding that Russia must launch a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of the activist.
In a communiqué recently released, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced its profound regret for the death of the political activist, one of the leading figures of the opposition in the Russian Federation.
Numerous flowers and candles have been placed in front of the Russian embassy in Bucharest along with the message ‘Don’t Give up’ by the people who paid tribute to Alesei Navalnyi’s activity.
“We must fight all the time for democracy!” was another message carried by the people who came to pay homage to Russia’s most important dissident of the moment. The Bucharest branch of the Save Romania Union, a.k.a USR, has proposed a General Council decision that the street where the Russian embassy’s consular section is located be named Aleksei Navalnyi.
According to the USR Bucharest, this initiative represents a major step in the process of supporting the democratic values and human rights, reiterating the solidarity bonds with those fighting for freedom and justice the world over. Also in line with this principle of freedom fighting, the head of the diplomacy in Bucharest, Luminita Odobescu, who went to Germany a couple of days ago to attend the Security Conference in Munich, has pleaded for maintaining the multi-dimensional support for Ukraine. Odobescu has conveyed a firm message of Romanian solidarity with Ukraine and its people in their legitimate fight to defend the country’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty in the illegal aggression war waged by Russia.
