Russia Navalny's widow demands clarification of her husband's death
Six months after the death of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny in a prison camp, his widow Yulia Navalnaya has criticized the Russian authorities for not providing a convincing explanation for the cause of death.
15.08.2024, 14:05
SDA
In a three-page document that she received from the investigators, it is merely stated that Navalny's death had no "criminal cause", she said in a video clip published on X. Investigators therefore see no reason to open criminal proceedings over the death.
Navalny became known in Russia as a blogger and was most recently the most prominent critic of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. In 2020, he survived a nerve agent attack and received treatment in Germany. On his return to Russia in early 2021, he was arrested and sentenced to a total of 19 years in prison, a sentence he described as politically motivated. On February 16, Navalny died under unexplained circumstances in a Siberian prison camp.
In the document published by Navalny's team on social networks, his death is attributed to "a combination of illnesses". Various illnesses are listed, including gallbladder inflammation, a slipped disc and a staphylococcal infection. In the end, cardiac arrhythmia led to her death, it continues.
Navalnaya: Murder should be covered up
"When I saw this document, I couldn't believe my eyes," said Navalnaya, who is continuing her husband's work. "This is another pretty pathetic attempt to cover up what happened - murder." One in three people in Russia have such illnesses, but do not die from them. In addition, her husband, who had been placed in solitary confinement 27 times, should have been examined very thoroughly when he arrived at the prison camp, according to the regulations.
Russian opposition activist and close Navalny confidant Leonid Volkov also criticized the authorities' attempt to explain the situation. "For six months, Putin's investigators were unable to formulate their version of what happened. Now they really haven't made anything up," wrote Volkov on the Telegram messaging service.
Navalnaya announced that her lawyers would lodge an objection and demand that all medical documents be handed over and that criminal proceedings be initiated. Navalny's team will also continue its own investigation into the circumstances of her husband's murder.
