Navalny’s death

Navalny’s allegations of foul play in her husband’s extermination have logically attracted wide constituency in Europe

The upcoming presidential elections in Russia are in the slur of accusations. The death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison has raised many eyebrows, especially after the Kremlin’s decision to reject the nomination papers of an anti-war candidate, Boris Nadezhdin. Moreover, the denial from Moscow to hold an inquiry into the causes of death of the incarcerated leader has cast doubts on the fairness of the electoral process. President Vladimir Putin, who has been at the helm of affairs since 2012, is contesting for another term in office, and that too at a time when his country is in a state of war with Ukraine, and at odds diplomatically with the Western hemisphere.

Yulia Navalny’s allegations of foul play in her husband’s extermination have logically attracted a wide constituency in Europe. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has joined the rank and file of people from the diplomatic strata accusing Putin of plotting to put down a civil movement against his iron-fisted rule. Navalny was jailed in 2021 after he led massive protests against Putin, and the momentum got a shot in the arm as Nadezhdin managed to gather more than hundred thousand signatures to Russia’s Central Election Commission challenging Putin’s candidature, opening floodgates of his own possible disqualification. Such high-handed tactics by the Russian establishment are behind the concerns suspecting a fair deal for the opposition leaders. Last but not least to recall is the silencing of failed coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, who mysteriously died in a plane crash during his self-exile in Belarus last year.

Moscow is in need of coming out of its denial mode, and addressing concerns on human rights violations. Likewise, it should ensure that the ballot in mid-March is free and fair, and opposition candidates are provided with a level-playing field. This is important to checkmate the propaganda campaign against it by the democracy preachers in Europe and the US, especially as Putin’s military adventure is in a decisive phase over Ukraine. A fair and independent probe into Navalny’s death is indispensable.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2024.

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