United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed profound dismay on Friday over the reported passing of incarcerated Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny and urged for an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his demise.
In a statement relayed by U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric to journalists, the secretary-general extended his heartfelt condolences to Mr Navalny’s family while stressing the imperative need for a comprehensive, credible, and transparent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s purported demise while in custody.
Navalny, aged 47, was reported to have passed away on Friday within the confines of a high-security Arctic penal institution where he was serving a 19-year prison term for charges related to extremism, as confirmed by Russia’s prison authorities. Navalny’s family is currently endeavouring to ascertain the authenticity of the reported incident.
A prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Navalny was renowned for his anti-corruption activism and had previously contested in public elections. His untimely passing comes less than a month ahead of scheduled elections expected to extend Putin’s tenure by another six years.
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, attributed Navalny’s demise to what she described as Russia’s relentless persecution against him.
The U.N. human rights office issued a statement expressing profound dismay at the news of Navalny’s passing and urged the cessation of persecution against political figures, human rights advocates, journalists, and others who face incarceration for exercising their fundamental rights.
Referencing a previous statement made by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in August, spokesperson Liz Throssell emphasized concerns regarding judicial harassment and the politicization of the legal system in Russia, calling for Navalny’s release at that time.
Throssell reiterated the secretary-general’s call for an impartial, thorough, and transparent investigation conducted by an independent body in cases where individuals perish while in state custody.
Expressing devastation over the news, Alice Edwards, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment, disclosed via the social media platform X that she, along with several other special rapporteurs, had endeavoured to intervene on Navalny’s behalf with the Kremlin to no avail.
