France says Navalny paid with his life for resisting 'oppression'

France said Friday that Alexei Navalny had paid with his life for resisting "oppression" under President Vladimir Putin. 

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny looks at a camera while speaking from a prison via a video link, during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, Russia, on 17 January, 2022. AP - Denis Kaminev

"Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression," French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on X.

"His death at a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin's regime," Sejourne said, expressing condolences to Navalny's family and the Russian people.

Navalny's death

Navalny died Friday at the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said in a statement.

According to the statement, Navalny lost consciousness after going for a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.

"Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," the statement said.

"Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established."

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into his death.

Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death. "Alexei's lawyer is now flying to Kharp," where his prison colony is, she said in a post on social media.

The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is spreading the news of Alexey Navalny's death in IK-3. We have no confirmation of this yet. Alexey's lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp. As soon as we have some information, we will report on…

— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 16, 2024

Opposition leader

Navalny, 47, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

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His criticisms, posted on his YouTube channel , racked up millions of views and brought tens of thousands of Russians to the streets, despite Russia's harsh anti-protests laws.

He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.

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In a string of cases he was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges widely condemned by independent rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin.

Late last year he was moved to a remote Arctic prison colony in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region in northern Siberia.

The last post on Navalny's Telegram channel, which he managed through his lawyers and team in exile, was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Valentine's Day.

(with AFP)