More than four hundred detained in Russia while paying tribute to Navalny – 2024-02-20 03:55:58

Local police have detained more than 400 people for paying tribute and rallying in memory of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his death. They were arrested from different areas of Russia on Saturday (17 February). The New York Times reported this information about the Russian human rights organization OVD-Infor.

According to media reports, Navalny, known as a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been in prison since 2021. Late last year, he was taken to a prison colony in the Yamalo-Nenets region of northern Siberia, Russia. He died there on Friday (February 16).

Read more:

The human rights organization said that after hearing the news of Navalny’s death, many people rallied in different regions of Russia to pay their respects to him. Many also paid their respects by placing flowers at the memorial. 401 people were arrested on Friday and Saturday for participating in these activities. Among them are 49 from Moscow and at least 74 from St. Petersburg.

Condolences from Navalny supporters. Photo: AFP

OVD-Info said people paying tribute to Navalny were detained in a total of 32 Russian cities. It is feared that the police may have taken more people into custody than the list of people detained. We have only listed the names of people we know through reliable sources.

After Navalny’s death, local prison authorities said he felt ill after a walk on Friday. Loss of consciousness almost immediately. The medical team was called on an emergency basis. However, it was not possible to bring Navalny back to consciousness. The cause of his death is under investigation.

Alexey Navalny died suddenly and mysteriously last Friday. Al-Jazeera reported on the Prison Service that during a walk around the prison, Navalny suddenly felt ill and at one point fainted. At that time, the medical team came with an ambulance. Doctors declared his death soon after the incident. However, the exact cause of death is not clear.

Read more:

A Russian court earlier sentenced Navalny to 19 years in prison. The anti-Putin leader was imprisoned in Kharp IK-3 penal colony, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow. It is considered to be the worst prison in Russia. Most of the prisoners held there have been convicted of serious crimes.

Navalny was considered the only opposition leader in Russia who was able to mobilize large numbers of people across Russia to participate in anti-government protests. He was poisoned in Siberia in 2020. But Navalny barely survived that journey.

Sources: AFP, The New York Times

SAH