{"id":14389,"date":"2024-02-18T06:03:28","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T06:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?p=14389"},"modified":"2024-02-18T06:03:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-18T06:03:28","slug":"putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> 275<\/span> Views<\/span><\/div>

Alexei Navalny who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin\u2019s fiercest foe, died Friday in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, Russia\u2019s prison agency said. He was 47.<\/p>\n

The stunning news \u2014 less than a month before an election that will give Putin another six years in power \u2014 brought renewed criticism and outrage from world leaders toward the Russian president who has suppressed opposition at home.<\/p>\n

After initially allowing people to lay flowers at monuments to victims of Soviet-era repressions in several Russian cities, police sealed off some of the areas and started making arrests.<\/p>\n

More than 100 people were detained in eight cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk in the Arctic Circle, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don in the south of Russia, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group. Shouts of \u201cShame!\u201d were heard as Moscow police rounded up more than a dozen people \u2014 including one with a sign reading \u201cKiller\u201d \u2014 near a memorial to political prisoners, the group said.<\/p>\n

But there was no indication Navalny\u2019s death would spark large protests, with the opposition fractured and now without its \u201cguiding star,\u201d as an associate put it.<\/p>\n

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported Navalny felt sick after a walk Friday and lost consciousness at the penal colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, but he couldn’t be revived; the cause of death is “being established,\u201d it said.
\nNavalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow to face certain arrest after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was later convicted three times, saying each case was politically motivated.<\/p>\n

After the last verdict, Navalny said he understood he was \u201cserving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hours after his death was reported, Navalny\u2019s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a security conference in Germany where many leaders had gathered.<\/p>\n

She said she had considered canceling, \u201cbut then I thought what Alexei would do in my place. And I\u2019m sure he would be here,\u201d adding that she was unsure if she could believe the news from official Russian sources.
\n\u201cBut if this is true, I want Putin and everyone around Putin, Putin\u2019s friends, his government to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did to our country, to my family and to my husband. And this day will come very soon,\u201d Navalnaya said.<\/p>\n

Praise for Navalny\u2019s bravery poured in from Western leaders and others opposing Putin. Navalny\u2019s health has deteriorated recently and the cause of death may never be known, but many of them said they held Russian authorities ultimately responsible \u2014 particularly after the deaths of many Kremlin foes.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington doesn’t know exactly what happened, “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did.\u201d
\nNavalny \u201ccould have lived safely in exile\u201d but returned home despite knowing he could be imprisoned or killed \u201cbecause he believed so deeply in his country, in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny \u201chas probably now paid for this courage with his life.\u201d
\nStanding beside Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy \u2014 whose country is fending off Russia’s invasion \u2014 said: \u201cPutin doesn\u2019t care who dies in order for him to hold onto his position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin was told of Navalny\u2019s death. The opposition leader’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the team had no confirmation yet.
\nRussia\u2019s main state TV channel interrupted its newscast to announce the death, while other broadcasters carried only terse reports.
\nThe Russian SOTA social media channel shared video of Navalny \u2014 reportedly in a prison courtroom on Thursday \u2014 laughing and joking with the judge via video link on one of several hearings about conditions in jail.
\nNavalny was moved in December from a central Russia penal colony to the \u201cspecial regime\u201d facility \u2014 the maximum security level. His allies decried the transfer to the remote Arctic colony as yet another attempt to isolate and silence Navalny.<\/p>\n

Before his arrest, Navalny campaigned against official corruption, organized major anti-Kremlin protests and ran for public office.
\nIn Putin\u2019s Russia, political activists often faded amid factional disputes or went into exile after imprisonment, suspected poisonings or other repression. But Navalny grew consistently stronger and reached the apex of the opposition through grit, bravado and an acute understanding of how social media could circumvent the Kremlin\u2019s suffocation of independent news outlets.<\/p>\n

He faced each setback \u2014 whether a physical assault or imprisonment \u2014 with intense devotion and sardonic wit. When authorities put Navalny in a tiny cell because of minor infractions \u2014 allowing access to a narrow exercise yard only in the early morning \u2014 he joked: \u201cFew things are as refreshing as a walk in Yamal at 6:30 in the morning.”<\/p>\n

Navalny ally Lyubov Sobol told The Associated Press that Russia’s repressive climate makes any rallies over his death risky, and “people could get long prison terms for taking part in a peaceful protest.\u201d
\nIn the absence of a \u201dguiding star” like Navalny, she said, “people will have an even greater fear of repressions, seeing the government\u2019s impunity.\u201d
\nA woman laying flowers for Navalny at a Moscow memorial said he was \u201cthe last beacon of hope for anything to change, and that hope died today. So the only thing I want to do now is cry, I have no more words.\u201d She identified herself only by her first name, Elmira, for fear of repression.<\/p>\n

Navalny was born in Butyn, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside Moscow. He received a law degree from People\u2019s Friendship University in 1998 and did a fellowship at Yale in 2010.<\/p>\n

He gained attention by focusing on corruption in Russia\u2019s murky mix of politicians and businesses; one of his early moves was buying a stake in oil and gas companies to become an activist shareholder and push for transparency.<\/p>\n

His work had pocketbook appeal to Russians\u2019 widespread sense of being cheated, carrying stronger resonance than abstract concerns about democracy and human rights.<\/p>\n

He was convicted in 2013 of embezzlement on what he called a politically motivated prosecution and was sentenced to five years in prison, but the prosecutor\u2019s office surprisingly demanded his release pending appeal. A higher court later gave him a suspended sentence.
\nA day before the sentence, Navalny registered as a candidate for Moscow mayor. The opposition saw his release as the result of large protests over his sentence, but many observers attributed it to a desire by authorities to add a tinge of legitimacy to the race.<\/p>\n

Navalny finished second, an impressive performance against an incumbent who was backed by Putin\u2019s political machine and was popular for improving Moscow\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Navalny\u2019s acclaim increased after the leading charismatic politician, Boris Nemtsov, was shot and killed in 2015 on a bridge near the Kremlin.
\nWhenever Putin spoke about Navalny, he made it a point to never utter his name, referring to him as \u201cthat person\u201d or similar wording, in an apparent effort to diminish his importance.<\/p>\n

In opposition circles, Navalny was often viewed as having an overly nationalist streak for supporting the rights of ethnic Russians \u2014 he backed the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Moscow in 2014 although most nations viewed it as illegal \u2014 but he was able to mostly override those reservations via investigations conducted by his Fund for Fighting Corruption.<\/p>\n

Although state-controlled TV ignored Navalny, his investigations resonated with younger Russians via YouTube and posts on his website and social media accounts. The strategy helped him reach the hinterlands far from the political and cultural centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg and establish a strong network of regional offices.
\nHis work broadened from focusing on corruption to criticism of the political system under Putin. He was a galvanizing figure in protests of unprecedented size against dubious national election results and the exclusion of independent candidates.<\/p>\n

Navalny got attention using pithy phrases and a potent image. His description of Putin\u2019s power-base United Russia as \u201cthe party of crooks and thieves\u201d gained instant popularity.<\/p>\n

In 2017, after an assailant threw green-hued disinfectant in his face, seriously damaging an eye, Navalny joked that people were comparing him to the superhero the Hulk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Much worse was to come.<\/p>\n

While in jail in 2019 for an election protest, he was hospitalized for what authorities called an allergic reaction, but some doctors said it appeared to be poisoning.<\/p>\n

A year later, he fell severely ill on a flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk. The plane made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk, where he spent two days in a hospital before being flown to Germany for treatment.<\/p>\n

Doctors there determined he had been poisoned with a strain of Novichok \u2013 similar to the nerve agent that nearly killed former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in 2018. Navalny was in a medically induced coma for about two weeks.<\/p>\n

The Kremlin vehemently denied it was behind the poisoning, but Navalny challenged that with an audacious move: releasing the recording of a call he said he made to an alleged member of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, who purportedly carried out the poisoning and then tried to cover it up. The FSB called the recording a fake.<\/p>\n

Russian authorities then announced that while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of a suspended sentence in one of his convictions and that he would be arrested if he returned home.<\/p>\n

Navalny and his wife nevertheless flew to Moscow on Jan. 17, 2021. On arrival, he told waiting journalists he was pleased to be back, walked to passport control and into custody.<\/p>\n

Last month, he explained why he returned, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t want to give up either my country or my beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just over two weeks after his return, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to 2\u00bd years in prison. That sparked massive protests reaching to Russia\u2019s farthest corners and saw police detain over 10,000 people.
\nAs part of a massive opposition crackdown that followed, a Moscow court in 2021 outlawed Navalny\u2019s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and about 40 regional offices as extremist, a verdict that exposed members of his team to prosecution.<\/p>\n

When Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Navalny strongly condemned it in social media posts from prison and during his court hearings.<\/p>\n

Less than a month after the war began, he received another nine-year term for embezzlement and contempt of court in a case he said was fabricated. Last August, he was convicted of extremism and sentenced to 19 years in prison.<\/p>\n

When a film called \u201cNavalny\u201d about his story won an Academy Award for best documentary in 2023, his wife told the ceremony: \u201cMy husband is in prison just for telling the truth. My husband is in prison just for defending democracy. Alexei, I am dreaming of the day you will be free and our country will be free.\u201d Besides his wife, he is survived by a son and a daughter.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> This piece was from Yahoo.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

275 ViewsAlexei Navalny who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[47],"yoast_head":"\nPutin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"275 ViewsAlexei Navalny who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"596\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"323\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nnabuife\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg\",\"width\":596,\"height\":323},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/\",\"name\":\"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962\",\"name\":\"Nnabuife\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nnabuife\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/umuakatimes.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/author\/gamexplay\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -","og_description":"275 ViewsAlexei Navalny who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President...","og_url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/","article_published_time":"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":596,"height":323,"url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nnabuife","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/IMG_20240218_064507.jpg","width":596,"height":323},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/","name":"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison. -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-18T06:03:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/putins-top-critic-alexei-navalny-dies-in-prison\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Putin\u2019s top critic, Alexei Navalny dies in prison."}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962","name":"Nnabuife","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nnabuife"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/umuakatimes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/author\/gamexplay\/"}]}},"views":183,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14392,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14389\/revisions\/14392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}