baha breaking news may be my first choice to source a breaking news story, but it is where I saw it first reported and seem reputable so I’ll cite them here.
Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny died in penal colony No. 3 in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Russian regional department of the Federal Penitentiary Service reported on Friday.
“On February sixteenth of the year in correctional colony No. 3, convict Navalny A.A. after a walk felt bad, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical workers of the institution immediately arrived and an ambulance brigade was called,” the statement said. The release added that “all necessary resuscitation measures were carried out” without any positive results. The causes of death are reportedly being established.”
If true this is very sad.
Navalny has been Vladimir Putin’s most voracious critic inside Russia for the better part of a decade, dating back at least to 2013 and his failed campaign to become the Mayor of Moscow.
If he was not on Putin’s radar until then, that certainly made a blip and Navalny was soon after arrested on trumped up charges of embezzlement and convicted of the charges but not imprisoned at that time. Most international Russia watchers considered the conviction imposed to prevent Navalny from running for office again.
Instead Navalny turned to activism, in 2017 he produced a film showcasing the corruption of Putin Puppet and interim Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and went on to found “Smart Voting”, a strategy that attempted to unite all political parties in the country against Putin’s United Russia. That action likely ultimately led to his death yesterday.
In 2020 he was poisoned with the Novichok Nerve agent and hospitalized in Germany after he was spirited out of Russia. He chose to return to Russia upon his recovery, and his earlier suspended prison sentence was reimposed upon his arrival and found himself under the tender care of Putin in Central Russia’s far north.
As I was typing, other news sources have started reporting his death – here’s ABC
“LONDON — Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian opposition politician and critic of Vladimir Putin — often considered to be a vocal and prominent thorn in the side of the Russian government — has died in prison at age 47, according to the prison service.
“On 02/16/2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convicted Navalny A.A. felt ill after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. The medical staff of the institution immediately arrived, and an ambulance team was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not give positive results. The doctors of the emergency medical service pronounced the convict dead,” the release says.“
Apparently talking long walks on the edge of Siberia in February before a Presidential election is not the safest activity for Russian dissidents.
The reporting on this is still pretty thin, and I have to get ready for my day job, so I’ll just sign off with this:
If you have departed us, Alexey, may you next destination be worthy of your presence there.
Had a few moments and the news of his death is spreading – here’s what some had to say on Twitter:
After poisoning, imprisoning and torturing his leading opposition leader Navalny, Putin has murdered him. Tucker never mentioned him to Putin and Trump has never uttered his name. Putin fans in America are all scum. Every last one of you. pic.twitter.com/uzJSEmEkwT
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 16, 2024
Hear, hear, Ron.
Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison. He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are. My thoughts are with the brave man's wife and children.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 16, 2024
Yup.
Navalny is dead. Putin has finally succeeded in killing him.
He exposed Putin’s corruption, survived being poisoned & returned to Russia to advocate for the freedoms we have. He embodied courage. May our lawmakers who are so cavalier with our democracy, find their courage
— Mia Farrow 🏳️🌈 🌻🇺🇦 (@MiaFarrow) February 16, 2024
We can always hope 🙄
Navalny didn’t die.
Navalny was murdered.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 16, 2024
💯
Another Russian opposition leader murdered by Putin. Is there any doubt @navalny was murdered? Putin murdered him because he finally feels comfortable doing so. Why? Because @realDonaldTrump is inviting attacks on NATO, @TuckerCarlson is cheering Putin, so time to kill Navalny.
— Alexander S. Vindman ❎ (@AVindman) February 16, 2024
Yup.
As putin has done to others, may he receive the same.
And remember-the republican party supports this murderer–perhaps the same treatment needs to be exercised upon them. At the very least they need, every damned one of them, to be removed from office.
Yeah…he ‘fell out of a window while walking’. I know some think wishing death on these murderers, including the fascist leader of the guns over people party, is crossing the line…phuck you cowards. In our history we wished death on the British, which is why we even have a phucking country. We wished death on the confederacy, which is why we have a country. We wished death on the nazis in WW2 which is why we have a phucking country. The fact we’ve grown so tolerant of the white supremacists and nazis that we give them seats in congress, while they support the mass murder of our citizens through lies,(covid), and mass shootings SHOW that playing nice with nazis like putin and the gop will get you killed. If we don’t wake up in time, then anyone who doesn’t go along with their agenda and belief system will also find themselves in a camp or will fall out of a window while walking! RIP to a truly brave solider for truth in a place where truth isn’t allowed. Remember what Louie the police captain told Lazlo about getting out of Casablanca…” it would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles!” Remember that next time you think ‘God’ is going to step in to save our asses. 11,500 slaughtered children,(and counting), in Gaza beg to differ!!!!!
With any luck Putin will die in one of his prison camps. Sure, prisoners in the gulags are,allowed to stroll.around for their afternoon constitutional. But only after their last meal.was poisoned.
We can’t choose a politician anymore for what he will do for us. Today we must chose a politician who will allow us to keep our freedom in democracy.
The last I’d heard was that Navalny had been moved and no one knew where. Apparently someplace where anything could happen to him with no witnesses, and it finally did. If I’d been him, I’d have never returned from Germany, but that’s just me. No one thought this would end in any other way except the way it did, with his murder. RIP Alexey. Maybe your murder will jostle those who, up to this point, have become comfy playing footsie with Putin. There’s a price to pay when you hug the bear. He’ll rip your head off and eat it for lunch. Maybe Tucker could be next? Please?