Yulia Navalnaya has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband Alexei Navalny and vowed to continue the late opposition leader's fight for a “free Russia.”
“Three days ago, President Vladimir Putin killed my husband, Alexei Navalny,” the widow said in a nine-minute video released on Monday.
“By killing Alexei, Putin killed half of me – half of my heart and half of my soul. … But I still have the other half, which I have no right to give up. “I will continue to carry on Alexei Navalny's work and continue to fight for our country,” he said, holding back tears.
“I want to live in a free Russia. I want to build a free Russia,” Navalnaya said.
“Please stand next to me,” she said. “Share this anger with me. Rage, anger, hatred for those who dared to kill our future.”
Navalny died on Friday at the age of 47 in the IK-3 maximum security prison in Harup, a town north of the Arctic Circle about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow. There he was serving a 19-year sentence for the charges. of extremism.
The circumstances surrounding the opposition leader's death remain unclear. Moscow said Navalny felt unwell after the walk and passed out, but efforts by doctors to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Three days have passed since Navalny's death, but his family has not been allowed to see his body.
The prison colony informed Nabani's mother on Saturday that her son's body was in a morgue in Salekhard, a town near the prison. Navalny family spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said after the family visited there that the body was not in the morgue.
On Monday, Russian authorities informed Navalny's mother and lawyer that the investigation into his death had been “extended” indefinitely, adding that the cause of death was still “unknown,” Yarmysh said on social media. I wrote this.
The Investigative Committee informed his mother and lawyer that the investigation into Navalny's death has been extended. I won't say how long it will take. The cause of death is still “unknown.”
They lie, buy time, and don't even hide it.
— Кира Ярмыл (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 19, 2024
Navalny accused Russian authorities of hiding Navalny's body and waiting for traces of the nerve agent Novichok to disappear from his body.
Independent outlet MediaZone obtained footage of four vehicles, including a prison vehicle, crossing the only road connecting Rabitnangi and Salekhard, close to the prison. The media said the unusual convoy suggested Navalny's body was being transferred to Salekhard.
Many Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are blaming the West for his death as the death of the dissident, who appeared well and joked with a judge the day before his death, remains unclear. I am inflicting it. Putin.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin would be held responsible for Navalny's death, adding that EU member states, including Russian prison officials, were directly responsible for Navalny's treatment. I expected that he would propose new sanctions against certain people.
At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock said diplomats would “initiate further sanctions” over Navalny's death.
The Kremlin on Monday called Western accusations of Russian government involvement in Navalny's death “stupid” and said “all necessary measures are being taken.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “In the absence of information, we believe that it is absolutely unacceptable to make frankly disrespectful statements.”
Navalny, a former lawyer, became prominent in his anti-corruption campaign. He was known for his fiery rhetoric in public protests and courtrooms, and for his team's sophisticated video investigations into state takeovers.
Following news of his death, thousands of people in Russia braved the winter temperatures to pay their respects to him. More than 360 people have been arrested in 39 cities for laying flowers at monuments and temporary memorials to victims of political repression, according to rights group OVD-Info.
Human rights groups have launched a petition asking the commission of inquiry to hand over Navalny's body to his family. More than 50,000 people signed this document.
