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The parent of deceased Russian absorption person Alexey Navalny said Monday she felt vindicated by a European assessment that her lad died of poisoning successful a distant penal colony. She called for justness arsenic Russia's authorities rejected the European claim, and arsenic the precocious dissident's supporters marked 2 years since his death.
Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest home opponent, died successful an Arctic situation colony successful February 2024 portion serving a 19-year sentence.
Britain, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands issued a associated connection Saturday saying they believed helium was poisoned with epibatidine, a toxin recovered successful poison dart frogs. They based their appraisal connected samples taken from his body, the connection said.
"This confirms what we knew from the precise beginning. We knew that our lad did not simply dice successful prison, helium was murdered," Navalny's parent Lyudmila Navalnaya told reporters extracurricular the cemetery wherever helium was buried successful Moscow. "I deliberation it volition instrumentality immoderate time, but we volition find retired who did it. Of course, we privation this to hap successful our country, and we privation justness to prevail."
Late Russian absorption person Alexey Navalny's parent Lyudmila Navalnaya touches his representation astatine his grave, 2 years aft his death, astatine the Borisovskoye Cemetery successful Moscow, Feb. 16, 2026.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
"Naturally, we bash not judge specified accusations. We disagree with them," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters successful Moscow connected Monday. "We see them biased and unfounded. And, successful fact, we powerfully cull them."
Russian authorities had designated Navalny and his enactment "extremist" earlier his death, and anyone who mentions him oregon his exiled anti-corruption instauration is liable for prosecution.
Officials successful Russia person ne'er offered overmuch item connected the origin of Navalny's death.
His widow Yulia Navalnaya, who lives successful exile with an outstanding warrant for her apprehension successful Russia, said astir six months aft her husband's decease that she was told by Russian investigators helium died from a operation of "a twelve antithetic diseases," and that helium yet succumbed to arrhythmia, oregon an irregular heartbeat, aft a walk.
Navalnaya said her hubby exhibited nary instances of bosom illness earlier helium was imprisoned.
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian absorption person Alexey Navalny, walks distant from his representation aft lighting a candle astatine the extremity of a work successful St. Mary's Church connected his birthday, successful Berlin, Germany, June 4, 2024.
Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/AP
"Russia claimed that Navalny died of earthy causes," the European nations said successful their associated connection implicit the weekend. "But fixed the toxicity of epibatidine and reported symptoms, poisoning was highly apt the origin of his death. Navalny died portion held successful prison, meaning Russia had the means, motive and accidental to administer this poison to him."
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said successful a statement that "Russia saw Navalny arsenic a threat" and poisoned him arsenic a amusement of strength.
"By utilizing this signifier of poison, the Russian authorities demonstrated the despicable tools it has astatine its disposal and the overwhelming fearfulness it has of governmental opposition," Cooper said.
The United Kingdom's overseas bureau said "only the Russian authorities had the means, motive and accidental to deploy this lethal toxin to people Navalny" and that they "hold it liable for his death."
Foreign diplomats and others laic flowers astatine the sedate of Russian absorption person Alexey Navalny, astatine the Borisovo cemetery successful Moscow, Feb. 16, 2026, connected the 2nd day of his decease successful an Arctic situation colony.
Hector RETAMAL/AFP/Getty
Dozens of radical visited his sedate aboriginal Monday, among them overseas diplomats, according to an AFP newsman astatine the scene. Some of those who attended wore masks oregon scarves implicit their faces.
Navalny had crusaded for years against authoritative corruption and staged monolithic anti-Kremlin protests. He was antecedently poisoned with the Soviet-era nervus cause Novichok portion flying from Moscow to Siberia successful 2020, yet recovering aft a agelong play of attraction successful Germany. He told 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl later that helium believed the poisoning was an assassination effort engineered by Putin — different assertion that Russian officials person ever denied.
Navalny returned to Moscow successful 2021, knowing helium faced certain arrest. He was convicted 3 times connected assorted charges and sentenced to 19 years for extremism-related charges, which helium ever dismissed arsenic politically motivated.
He was imprisoned in January 2021 and past moved astir 3 years aboriginal to the Arctic penal colony, wherever helium died successful February 2024.
Kerry Breen contributed to this report.
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