Russia / They continue to pay tribute to the memory of Alexei Navalny

Dozens Russians continue today to leave flowers at a monument in Moscow to commemorate Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in prison, despite the hundreds of arrests made in the previous days.

Almost 400 people were arrested across Russia and at least 150 were convicted to short jail terms over the past three days for actions in memory of the charismatic opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, according to human rights groups.

Today, the police, without using force, allowed Muscovites, some of them in tears, to come one by one to lay flowers at a monument dedicated to memory of the victims of Soviet political repressionin front of Lubyanka, the headquarters of the Soviet KGB and then the Russian FSB.

Ambassadors of foreign countries, among them the French Pierre Levi, they also visited the monument.

“Alexei is alive in our memory, he is one ray of light in our life. We honor his memory and continue his work,” Larissa, a 54-year-old ambulance rescuer, told AFP.

Alexandra, 21, was afraid to come to the memorial after seeing videos of arrests in the previous days, but she did. “Tis first two days, i cried non-stop. I’m angry”he said.

“Even if he was in prison, even if they had taken him to the Arctic Circle, he was alive. There was still hope” continued the young woman, who had attended rallies organized by Navalny in the past.

“The hope of millions of Russians”

Konstantin, aged 16, said he has been interested in politics since he was 11, when he discovered Alexei Navalny.

“I have been following his activities all these years. And the news of his death or rather his assassination on February 16, with shocked“, he underlined.

“He showed me that politics is not something annoying that we only find in the newspapers. It was one rock star of the Russian political scene“, continued the 16-year-old.

“For millions of Russians, it was a genre of hope and we don’t know who will be able to be the next hope, after him”, pointed out, with a trembling voice, the 47-year-old Elizaveta.

Italy: Torchlight procession dedicated to Alexei Navalny

In the meantime, all the Italian parties took part today late afternoon in torch relay outside the city hall of Rome, the Capitol, dedicated to Alexei Navalny, mwith a request to render justice with full verification of the causes of his death.

Among others, the Italian Left, the centre-left Democratic Party, Forza Italia founded by Silvio Berlusconi, the small centrist party Azione (Action) which had the relevant initiative, the Brothers of Italy of Giorgia Meloni, the League and the Five Stars. The “present” was also given by the Italian radicals, all the major trade unions and the ambassadors of the countries of the European Union in Italy. Our country was represented by our ambassador in Rome, Eleni Sourani.

“It is perhaps the only time that all Italian parties take part in such a one solidarity initiative. It’s something we had to do because similar demonstrations were already organized in many other European capitals,” said Azione party leader and former minister Carlo Calenda.