ES. Vienna, February 19, 2024
Eurotopics today has a useful overview of press reactions to the death/ murder of Alexei Navalny in his Arctic labour camp. His body has still not been shown to his mother or his lawyer. The London Daily Telegraph casts further doubt on official vaguery about what happened to him. His widow Yulia suspects Novichok has again been used to poison him.
She accuses Russian authorities of blocking his family from seeing his body until traces of the nerve agent disappear from his system. In a video posted on Twitter, said she was taking over the cause of bringing democratic change in Russia to honour her husband’s memory.
“I’m going to keep up with Alexei Navalny’s struggle,” she said, adding that she knew “why exactly” her husband was killed.
“I’m going to keep struggling for our country and I’m asking you tostand by me and share not only the endless grief and pain that gripped us and won’t let go. I’m asking you to share the outrage, the anger and hatred for those who dared to kill off our future.”
Her foray into politics was a homage for her husband, she said.
“I want to build this (new) Russia with you: that’s the only way this unimaginable sacrifice that he made will not be futile. I’m not scared so nor should you be.” Navalny’s mother and lawyer arrived at a mortuary in the regional capital Salekhard this morning but were not allowed in, his spokeswoman said. The mortuary would not confirm if they were indeed keeping the body.
Navalny’s postmortem examination period has been extended, Kira Yarmysh, Navalnhy’s spokeswoman said, citing a request from the local Investigative Committee. “The cause of death is still ‘not established’,” she said. A Kremlin spokesman on Monday refused to comment.
- DW, 19/02/2024 “Putin trolling the entire world” and protests across Russia
- CNN 16/02/2024 Wife of imprisoned journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza “My heart is breaking”
- CBS, 60 Minutes USA includes historic interview with Navalny