Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), Leaders from around the world have been quick to react to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
On Friday, it was announced he had died in jail, the country’s prison service has said.
Navalny, 47, rose to prominence more than a decade ago by criticizing President Vladimir Putin and the Russian elite whom he accused of corruption, avarice, and opulence.
In a statement, the federal penitentiary service for the region where Navalny was incarcerated said that he had “felt unwell after a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness”.
“All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out but did not yield positive results,” the statement read. “The paramedics confirmed the death of the convict.”
Reaction to the news was swift with France claiming Navalny has paid with his life for resisting “oppression” under Putin.
“Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression,” French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on X.
Also on X, formerly known as Twitter, Latvia’s president has said Navalny had been “brutally murdered by the Kremlin” after Russian authorities announced his death.
“Whatever your thoughts about Alexey Navalny as the politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin. That’s a fact and that is something one should know about the true nature of Russia’s current regime,” President Rinkevics said.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said, “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.”
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the news.
“We need to establish all the facts, and Russia needs to answer all the serious questions about the circumstances of his death,” he warned.
EU Council President Charles Michel said, “Alexei Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy,” he said. “For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice. The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death.”
Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs Tobias Billstrom said that if the news was true it was another “terrible crime” by Putin’s regime.
