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re: Putins' WRATH; HELL on Earth Prison-Persecution & DEATH of Alexei Navalny
Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Has DIED - 'Putin, You Will Answer For What You Did to My Husband'
Alexei Navalnys' tearful wife makes emotional vow after the Russian opposition leader is 'murdered' in prison by 'this evil regime'
MailOnline 16 FEB 2024
Yuliya Navalnaya gave a rousing speech at the Munich Security Conference. Holding back tears she called on the world to hasten Vladimir Putins' downfall
In a defiant and emotional speech today, Yuliya Navalnaya held back her tears to declare: '(Navalny) would have been here, in this hall.
This photo taken from video released by Russian Federal Penitentiary Service shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny via a video link from the Arctic penal colony in Kharp, Kovrov, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2024
'I don't know whether you believe the awful news that we received - just from Russian state sources. Because for many years we have not been able to believe Putin and his government, they always lie.
'But if it's true I want Putin, his whole crew and all of his friends to know that will answer for what they have done to our country, my family and my husband. That day will come very soon.
'And I call on the international community, the people in this room, and people everywhere that we fight and beat this evil, this terrible regime in Russia led by Vladimir Putin. They are to be personally held responsible for all the horrible things they have done to us.'
Russian news outlets this afternoon announced Navalny's death - citing the Siberian prison service where he was serving his sentence - but gave no cause of death or further information.
The news sparked shock and anger around the globe, with world leaders and commentators quickly pointing the finger at the Kremlin.
Navalny was 'brutally murdered by the Kremlin,' Latvia's president declared, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was 'obvious' Putin had ordered the dissident's killing.
'Obviously he was killed by Putin. Like thousands of others who have been tortured,' Zelensky declared, citing Navalny's passing as yet more evidence of why Putin must be made to 'lose everything and held accountable for his actions'.
As Putin's fiercest foe, Navalny crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests - drawing the merciless retribution of the Kremlin.
He once survived an assassination attempt involving the Novichok nerve agent, but returned to his homeland upon his recovery, despite knowing he would be arrested.
Ever since, he has been serving time on extremism charges after being sentenced to 19 years behind bars, and in December was moved from a prison in central Russia to a 'special regime' penal colony known as 'Polar Wolf' above the Arctic Circle.
The 47-year-old was last seen via video link during a court hearing on Thursday.
Dressed in black prison uniform, he appeared to be in good spirits - his trademark humour back on show.
'Your Honour, I will send you my personal account number so that you can use your huge salary as a federal judge to ''warm up'' my personal account, because I am running out of money,' he said.
Navalny's mother Lyudmila said she had seen her son in the prison colony on Monday. At the time, she said: 'He was alive, healthy, cheerful.'
A view of the entrance of the prison colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, Tuesday, January 23, 2024
But the Federal Prison Service said in a statement today that Navalny felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to save him, to no avail.
Bellingcat journalist Christo Grozev - an ally of Navalany who has followed his trial closely, said: 'I have no doubt that the death of Alexei Navalny is not natural.
'Even propagandist Russian channels, linked to the special services, called this a political assassination. Who are we to doubt their own words?'
Reports of his death prompted shock and anger across Europe.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to the 'fiercest advocate for Russian democracy', saying Navalny was a prominent and persistent critic of Putin who had 'demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life'.
The Prime Minister 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.'
Foreign Secretary David Cameron said 'Putin should be accountable' for his death.
Lord Cameron said: 'Navalny fought bravely against corruption. Putin's Russia fabricated charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an arctic penal colony & now he has tragically died.
'Putin should be accountable for what has happened - no one should doubt the dreadful nature of his regime.'
France's President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of sentencing 'free spirits to the gulag' and 'condemning them to death,' expressing his 'anger and indignation' and hailing Navalny's 'courage'.
The White House said if confirmed, Navalny's death would be 'a terrible tragedy.'
Speaking on NPR, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also added the Kremlin's 'long and sordid' history of harming its opponents 'raises real and obvious questions about what happened here.'
Vice President Kamala Harris said the US was working to confirm the death of Navalny, adding that it would be a further sign of Putin's brutality.
US president Joe Biden had warned in June 2021 that Putin would face consequences if Navalny died in prison.
But the Kremlin bit back, declaring that the US must not make 'sweeping accusations' about Navalny's passing.
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