Alexei Navalny's mother demands that Vladimir Putin return her son's body
Elon Musk's
This came as Russia launched a new criminal case against the brother of Kremlin critic Oleg Navalny, TASS reported. The official news agency did not mention under which article of the Criminal Code the case was opened. He had previously been convicted of fraud in a case that critics said was aimed at increasing pressure on his brother.
Meanwhile, Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, made a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin from outside the Arctic penal colony where her son died.
“Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so I can bury him humanely,” she said, after authorities said his body would not be released for two weeks.
Navalny's wife, Yulia, accused the authorities of holding his body waiting for traces of “another Putin's Novichok” to leave his body – a reference to the military nerve agent used to poison him years ago.
The European Union summons Russia's representative and calls for an international investigation into Navalny's death
The European Union summoned Russia's representative to the bloc and called for an independent international investigation into the death of Alexei Navalny.
The EU diplomatic service said a senior figure in Brussels also urged Russia to hand over Navalny's body to his family without further delay during the meeting with Kirill Loginov, Russia's acting permanent representative to the EU.
“The European Union side conveyed the EU's anger over the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, for which ultimate responsibility lies with President Putin and the Russian authorities,” the statement said.
Andy GregoryFebruary 20, 2024 at 20:03
Italy summons the Russian ambassador over Navalny's death
A ministry spokesman said that the Italian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador against the backdrop of the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Andy Gregory20 February 2024 at 18:39
Yulia Navalnaya responds to the Kremlin's response to allegations of her husband's murder
Yulia Navalnaya responded after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to describe her accusations that her husband had been poisoned as “absolutely baseless and impudent accusations against the Russian head of state.”
In her latest post on X/Twitter, Ms. Navalnaya said: “I don’t care how the killer’s press secretary comments on my words. Return Alexei’s body, let him be buried with dignity, and don’t stop people from saying goodbye to him.”
“And I really ask all the journalists who are still asking questions: Don’t ask about me, ask about Alexei.”
Andy Gregory20 February 2024 at 17:16
Full report: The White House imposes “major sanctions” on Russia in response to Navalny’s death
The White House announced that a new package of sanctions against Russia is set to take effect following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a concentration camp in Siberia.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said existing sanctions “will be specifically supplemented by additional sanctions related to the death of Mr. Navalny.”
While noting that the United States does not yet know the cause of Navalny's death, Kirby continued to blame Putin, telling reporters: “Regardless of the scientific answer, Putin is responsible for it.”
my colleague Gustav Kilander Reports from Washington, D.C.:
Andy Gregory20 February 2024 at 16:59
The United States will announce a major sanctions package this week
The United States will announce a major package of sanctions on Russia on Friday in response to the death of Alexei Navalny, the White House said.
National Security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the package would “hold Russia accountable for what happened to Mr. Navalny” and for its actions during the war in Ukraine.
Andy Gregory20 February 2024 at 16:32
Alexei Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, lays flowers for her son
Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, was seen placing a bouquet of white flowers next to a photo of her son.
Alexei Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, lays flowers for her son
Andy Gregory20 February 2024 at 15:47
X says Yulia Navalnaya's account was suspended by 'error'
Social media site X claimed to have suspended Yulia Navalnaya's account after it was mistakenly flagged as “violating our rules”.
“Our platform's defense mechanism against tampering and spam has been incorrectly flagged
As a violation of our rules,” @yulia_navalnaya wrote.
“We unsuspended the account as soon as we learned of the error, and will update the defense.”
They did not explain how they wrongly believed Ms Navalnaya had broken the rules.
Tom Watling20 February 2024 at 15:15
Protests, poisonings and imprisonment: a timeline of Alexei Navalny's life and his opposition to Vladimir Putin
Tom Watling20 February 2024 at 15:10
Poland summons the Russian ambassador over Navalny's death
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it summoned the Russian ambassador against the backdrop of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The ministry said in a statement: “The ministry calls on the Russian authorities to bear responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny and to conduct a full and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances and cause of his death.”
Tom Watling20 February 2024 at 14:42
Watch: Alexei Navalny's mother makes a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin to release her son's body
In a recorded message outside the Arctic Wolf penal colony in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday (February 20), Lyudmila Navalnaya said: “I appeal to you, Vladimir Putin, because the solution to this problem depends only on you.
“Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so I can bury him humanely.”
Russian authorities said they would not return Navalny's body for two weeks while they continued to investigate his death.
Alexei Navalny's mother makes a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin to release her son's body
Alexei Navalny's mother made a video appeal directly to Vladimir Putin to release her son's body. In a message recorded outside the Arctic Wolf penal colony in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday (February 20), Lyudmila Navalnaya said: “I appeal to you, Vladimir Putin, because the solution to this problem depends only on you. “Let me finally see my son. “I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so that I can bury him humanely.” Russian authorities said they would not return Navalny's body for two weeks while they continued to investigate his death.
Tom WatlingFebruary 20, 2024 at 14:05
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