Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief critic, has died in jail, according to Russian prison services, at the age of 47.
Navalny was being held in a jail near the Arctic Circle, where he had been sentenced to work at a penal colony for 19 years. Putin’s critics are frequently imprisoned for opposing the Russian president, and some are even assassinated.
No information on Navalny’s cause of death has been released. Prison authorities said Navalny had taken a walk outside and wasn’t feeling well when he returned before he lost consciousness.
“All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results,” the prison service said. “Doctors of the ambulance stated the death of the convict.”
The announcement came as the Munich Security Conference opened on Friday. Reports about Navalny’s death coincided with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky taking the stage at the conference — an eventuality some consider as a veiled message to anyone else who considers rebelling against Putin.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is representing the United States at the conference, responded to the reports, saying everyone is working to confirm the “terrible news” and directly criticizing Putin.
“If confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin’s brutality,” Harris said. “Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible, and we will have more to say about this later.”
Christoph Heusgen, the chairman of the conference, acknowledged Navalny in his opening remarks as a “very special man.”
Other world leaders have also commented on Navalny’s death, including NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said he was “saddened and concerned” over Navalny’s death.
“Navalny has been a strong voice for freedom & democracy; NATO & Allies had long called for his release,” Stoltenberg posted to X. “My thoughts are with his family & loved ones.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also responded to the news, saying Russia was responsible for the death.
“His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this,” Blinken said in Munich. “We’ll be talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports bear out to be true.”
Navalny’s wife and children are in Munich, and she is scheduled to attend the conference to talk about “a better Russia.”
Navalny survived a poisoning attempt in 2020 that put him in a coma. He was evacuated to Germany for treatment but was sentenced to 30 years in prison on his return for violating his parole.
The opposition leader had spent years trying to weaken Putin’s hold on the Russian government, including helping launch protests against Putin in 2011 and 2012, through campaigning against election fraud and government corruption. He has also played a role in local and national elections to undermine Putin’s party.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Russian prison service said Navalny was recently treated in the hospital for what he claimed was malnourishment, along with other alleged mistreatment from the prison.
Navalny’s team, which lives in exile, has not confirmed Navalny’s death.
