BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday paid tribute to Russian opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny on the one-year anniversary of his death, saying he died “because he fought for democracy and freedom in Russia”.
Russian President Vladimir “Putin brutally combats freedom and its defenders. Navalny’s work was all the more brave,” said Scholz in a post on X.
“His courage made a difference and reaches far beyond his death.”
The charismatic Navalny – Putin’s main opponent who campaigned against government corruption – died a year ago while incarcerated in a remote Arctic penal colony.
Russian authorities have never fully explained Navalny’s death, which happened while he was walking in the prison yard.
His supporters are due to mark the anniversary of his death on Sunday, with some risking reprisals by visiting his grave in Moscow.
Some Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channels warned supporters against going to the cemetery.
Commemorative events will also take place in other places, such as Berlin where Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, living in exile alongside many other Russian dissidents, is set to share memories of her husband.
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