Navalny’s death: Macron accuses Russia of “sentenced to death” “free spirits”

The head of state paid tribute to the memory of Alexei Navalny. Emmanuel Macron expressed “anger and outrage” on Friday after the death of a Russian opponent, who died in prison aged 47, whose “commitment” and “courage” he praised.

“In today’s Russia, we put free spirits in the Gulag and sentence them to death,” the French president responded on the social network X. “Thoughts about your family, your loved ones and about the Russian people,” he added.

The Kremlin’s number one opponent has died, according to authorities, in his Arctic prison, a month before presidential elections that are expected to further consolidate Vladimir Putin’s power. His death after three years in prison and a poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin deprives the already bloodless opposition of its figurehead, as the Kremlin has mounted a merciless crackdown on all its detractors, especially since launching its attack on Ukraine two years ago. back.

Russian authorities have provided few details about the conditions of Navalny’s death, limiting themselves to a brief press release that made sure they had done everything to resuscitate his opponent, whose health had been weakened by poisoning and imprisonment, after feeling unwell.

Outrage in the West

Alexei Navalny, 47, was serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism” in a remote penal colony in the Arctic, under very difficult conditions. His numerous trials were widely condemned as political and a way to punish him for his opposition to Vladimir Putin.

The news of his death caused outrage in the West: the EU pointed to the sole responsibility of the “Russian regime”, and some countries called Vladimir Putin’s crime. The EU holds the “Russian regime” “solely responsible for the tragic death” of Alexei Navalny, European Council President Charles Michel said.

The French political class also condemned the enemy’s death with varying intensity, from France Insoumise to the National Rally.