Alexei Navalny’s death on February 16th, is one of the biggest media stories involving Russian politics. So much so that a UN human rights expert blames Russia for his death.
Who was Alexei Navalny?
Known for being Putin’s biggest opponent, Alexei Navalny is a Russian lawyer, activist and politician who, for many years, has been trying to run for president against the current head of state, Vladimir Putin.
His political career began when he joined the liberal Yabloko party, but shortly afterwards he was excluded due to his strong nationalist views. Because of this, he joined the movement that brings together extreme right-wing, nationalist and xenophobic forces, but later left the movement as well.
Becoming a blogger, Alexei attracted people and the media with his anti-corruption ideals and his strong ironic tone, which seems to have won him a great deal of support among Russians.
According to the O Globo news portal, Navalny’s rivalry with Putin cost him many arrests and several attempts on his life, as he accused the current head of state of corruption. He was then convicted of economic crimes and made ineligible for the 2018 elections in Russia.
Demonstrating his anger, Alexei organized a protest against Vladimir Putin, the winner of the 2018 elections, called the voters’ strike.
In August 2020, Navalny fell ill during a flight between Berlin and Moscow, where he was treated in Germany, which claims that the activist was poisoned by a substance known as Novichok, guaranteeing the suspicion of the Russian state in this case, which has obviously denied such accusations.
In the end, he was sentenced to prison, where he was killed shortly afterwards. According to him, the charges that secured his trial were framed to keep him away from politics.
Current scenario
With a beautiful funeral, Alexei was cheered in his death by several supporters, demonstrating the strength of the Russian opposition, which will not remain silent in the face of the full threats from the Russian state. Putin’s new rival, the widow of Alexei Navalny, who became the main voice of the anti-corruption movement after her husband’s death, has been declared.
And this political scenario in Russia is causing outrage on both sides, whether they support Navalny or not. According to the UN human rights expert, it is extremely likely that the Russian government planned the activist’s death.
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The article above was edited by Fernanda Miki Tsukase.
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