One year after death:

Hundreds of people at Navalny’s grave in Moscow

(Bild: Associated Press)

On the first anniversary of the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, hundreds of people gathered at his grave in Moscow despite the threat of reprisals.

This was reported on Sunday by AFP journalists from the Borisovsky cemetery. Navalny, who had been classified as an "extremist" by the Russian authorities, was tortured to death on February 16, 2024 under unexplained circumstances in the "Polar Wolf" prison camp, where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

People lay flowers at his grave in Moscow despite the threat of repression and police surveillance. At the same time, the judiciary throughout Russia continues to crack down on dissidents.

(Bild: Associated Press)

Above all, the hundreds of political prisoners are intended to act as a deterrent and nip any spirit of resistance in the bud. The list of imprisoned opponents of Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine is long. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Memorial, which is banned in Moscow, lists 785 political prisoners.

Three of Navalny's lawyers were sentenced to long prison terms in January for defending Putin's opponent. And Navalny, who was only 47 years old on the day of his death on February 16, is not the only one to die in captivity.

Navalny supporters risk imprisonment
Anyone who stylizes Navalny as a role model or supports his anti-corruption fund FBK risks many years in prison for extremism. Navalny's political movement against the widespread culture of bribery and abuse of power is banned.

And even after his death, the laws against dissenters in Russia continue to be tightened. Critical media and the opposition have been largely shut down. Many of Putin's opponents remain silent out of fear for their lives.

Opposition largely eliminated
Navalny's supporters working in exile and not least his widow Yulia Navalnaya must also fear for their lives in the EU. Opposition figures Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Mursa as well as Oleg Orlov from Memorial had to leave Russia against their will.