2024-02-17 07:22:32
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said today that he was deeply saddened by the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, “a brave fighter for freedom and rights”, and called on the Russian Federation for a “transparent and comprehensive investigation” into this case, Agerpress reported, quoted by BTA.
“I am deeply saddened by the news that Alexei Navalny has died. Our sympathetic thoughts go out to his family and friends. Today the international community lost a brave fighter for freedom and rights. We ask Russia to conduct a transparent and comprehensive investigation,” Iohannis wrote in the X platform (formerly Twitter).
Romanian Foreign Minister Luminica Odobescu, for her part, emphasized that Navalny remains a symbol of the struggle for freedom and democracy.
“I am shocked by the death of Alexei Navalny. There should be no doubt about the responsibility of the Putin regime. Navalny remains a symbol of the struggle for freedom and democracy. Deepest condolences to his family. Romania is united with those who fight for justice and freedom against autocracy,” wrote Ex Odobescu on the platform.
Senate President and leader of the National Liberal Party (NLP) Nikolay Chuka also said he was saddened by Navalny’s death, noting that he was a “strong voice for democracy, transparency and the fight against corruption,” and this tragic loss underlines the urgent need for “real democracy in Russia”.
“Russia lost today one of its main fighters against corruption and a staunch supporter of democracy. The tragic loss of Alexei Navalny reminds us how precious freedom is and how important it is to unite in defense of democratic values. His courage and determination will not be forgotten in the free world,” Chuka wrote.
Reactions also came from the opposition parties in Romania.
The leader of the Union for the Salvation of Romania (SSR), Catalin Drula, said Navalny’s death was a “political murder” that should be a wake-up call to the free world.
“Alexei Navalny paid the ultimate price for his courage to stand up to a ruthless dictator. This political assassination should be a wake-up call to the entire free world. Ukraine must be supported, more than ever, to defeat Putin’s Russia. We must to put an end to this tyranny,” Drula wrote in Ex.
MEP and leader of the REPER party Dacian Cholos also posted a comment on his Facebook page.
“The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny shows that in a society led by a dictator, the system can kill you without anyone being held accountable for the crime. May God rest in peace with Navalny, who had the strength to stand up to Putin to the end. And those , who support the Putinist discourse in Romania – (Alliance for the Unity of Romanians leader Dorje) Simion and (Senator Diana) Shoshoaca, to at least have the courage not to use the words “freedom” and “democracy” in the propaganda they spread in a country, which has found its way to the West at the cost of blood,” Cholos emphasized.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died today in an Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence, AFP and Reuters reported earlier today. The 47-year-old activist is serving a sentence for “extremism” in a remote Arctic prison colony under very harsh conditions. He described his numerous trials as political, seeing them as a way to punish him for his opposition to President Vladimir Putin.