The UN Human Rights Speaker in Russia in a conversation with New Evrope demanded an investigation into the death of Navalny and the release of political prisoners

On February 16, 2024, it became known that politician Alexei Navalny died in a colony. The special speaker of the UN Human Rights in Russia, Marian Katsarova, in a conversation with the New Gazeta Europe, commented on the death of a politician. She called on the Russian authorities to immediately independently investigate the death of Navalny, as well as release all political prisoners in the country.

Mariana Katsarova

Special United Nations Assembly for Human Rights in Russia

- The news today was absolutely shocked. It shocked the whole world. The death of Alexei Navalny or a statement about his death is a terrible tragedy for everyone who fights for human rights and democratic values ​​around the world. He was the most open and bold critic of human rights violations by the Russian authorities. He was not afraid to talk about the deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia, about corruption of authorities, including key politicians, in 2021 he was detained for his political beliefs. And since then he was in prison. I am still waiting for confirmation of the news of the death of Alexei Navalny, because the only information that we have comes from the prison authorities and from the authorities of the Russian Federation. Neither family nor lawyers were able to get into the colony behind the Arctic Circle to confirm his death. And if it is confirmed, it must be immediately investigated, and not only by the forces of the Russian authorities. I understand that a commission was sent to the colony to study the circumstances of Navalny’s death, but an independent investigation of how he died and in what circumstances, including an independent autopsy, should be carried out. And I consider it absolutely necessary that the Russian authorities allow to conduct an independent civil investigation of Navalny’s death, completely separated from the Russian authorities.

Over the past few years, the conditions for its conclusion, indeed, have become equivalent to torture with a lack of treatment. He was repeatedly and regularly kept in isolation in the croaks. His health worsened, and in conclusion he was not provided with access to adequate medical care. Three of his lawyers last October were detained in Russia and are currently in prison on charges of extremism. And the two additional lawyers of Navalny, who are now in exile, were arrested in absentia in absentia to a regional court a few days ago. After the arrest of lawyers, he suddenly disappeared. Then I made a statement about his violent disappearance. At the same time, Alexei Gorinov, another anti -war critic and political opponent of the authorities, also disappeared. And on December 25, on Christmas in Europe, the Russian government returned both Alekseev on the same day. Navalny was transferred to the colony behind the polar circle. I think that all these movements around Navalny and the attitude towards him then and now indicate that the authorities tried to isolate it, break any contact with the outside world and make the conditions for its conclusion even more painful.

I and my colleagues, special speakers, we make statements: call for the liberation of all political prisoners in Russia. It must be remembered that, according to a very modest assessment of the “memorial”, a human rights organization in Russia, which was also liquidated by the authorities, in Russia more than 600 political prisoners. I believe that there are much more of them. These are journalists, human rights defenders, anti -war activists and dissidents, political opponents, all in Russia who was against the politics of the Russian authorities, especially against the full -scale invasion of Russia to Ukraine, against the war in Ukraine, they were detained and are currently in prison. Many of them have worsened health.

Today we are calling for the immediate liberation of them all, primarily Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin, Alexei Gorinov, whose state of health has worsened to such an extent that their life is also in danger. And today we wonder: who is the next? Who can be the following after Navalny among all these dissidents and human rights activists who can follow in his footsteps? That is why they need to be released immediately.

Several things need to be done. The first is an immediate and thorough investigation of the circumstances of the death of Alexei Navalny, including an independent autopsy of his body, a civil independent body separate from the Russian authorities. Also, of course, it is necessary to access to lawyers, relatives, family to him, to his body to find out the truth about the circumstances of his death. The second and most important now is to call the Russian authorities to immediate liberation of all political prisoners in Russia and all dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists and activists who are in prison in the Russian Federation today.