Poland’s foreign ministry has summoned Russia’s Ambassador to the country, Sergey Andreev, over the death of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, 47, died in his Arctic penal colony on Friday, February 16, 2024.
The opposition politician’s team claim that he was murdered.
Many western countries have unanimously blamed the Russian authorities for the death of Navalny.
Poland’s decision came a day after number of countries summoned their respective Russian Ambassadors.
In a statement, Poland’s foreign ministry disclosed that it “called on Russian authorities to take responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny and conduct a full and transparent investigation to determine the circumstances and cause of his death.”
“The authorities of the Russian Federation demonstrate a complete rejection of moral norms not only in the context of dealing with domestic civil society, but also in the ongoing war against Ukraine,” the Polish ministry said.
Also on Tuesday, Slovenia said that it summoned a Russian envoy to the ministry in Ljubljana, urging Moscow to release all political prisoners.
On Monday, France, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands summoned diplomats from their Russian embassies.
France called for an “independent” probe into the death of jailed Russian opposition leader after summoning Moscow’s envoy.
“France holds the Russian authorities fully responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
France “calls for an independent and in-depth investigation,” the ministry noted.
“France calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in Russia and expresses in particular its deep concern over the critical state of health of opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza,” the statement added.
Also on Tuesday, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny’s mother, demanded that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, hand over her son’s body.
“For the fifth day, I have been unable to see him. They wouldn’t release his body to me. And they’re not even telling me where he is,” Navalnaya said in a video.
“I’m reaching out to you, Vladimir Putin. The resolution of this matter depends solely on you. Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body is released immediately, so that I can bury him like a human being.”
Lyudmila Navalnaya
Jailed Opposition Member Fears For Life
Meanwhile, another jailed Russian opposition member, Ilya Yashin said that he fears for his life after the death of Alexei Navalny.
In a letter from prison, Yashin revealed that he only heard of Navalny’s death on Monday, February 19, 2024.
“It’s hard to convey my shock. It’s hard to collect my thoughts. The pain and horror are unbearable,” he wrote.
Yashin was sentenced to prison for eight years for publishing reports about the Russian military’s commission of war crimes in Bucha in 2022.
He likened Navalny’s death to that of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down near the Kremlin walls.
“Now both my friends are dead. I feel a black emptiness inside. And, of course, I understand my own risks. I am behind bars, my life is in Putin’s hands, and it is in danger. But I will continue to push my line.”
Ilya Yashin
He said that he was sure that Putin ordered the murder of Navalny behind bars.
“For me, there is no question: who killed [Navalny]?” Yashin noted.
“I have no doubt that it was Putin. He’s a war criminal. Navalny was his key opponent in Russia and was hated by the Kremlin,” he stated.
“Putin had both motive and opportunity. I am convinced that he ordered the killing,” he added.
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