UN calls for ‘full, credible and transparent investigation’ into death of Navalny

WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “shocked” by the death of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny and calls for a “full, credible and transparent investigation,” said his spokesman on Friday.

“The Secretary-General is shocked by the reported death and detention of opposition figure Alexei Navalny,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Guterres also expressed his condolences to Navalny’s family.

The Russian penitentiary service said Friday that Navalny had died in a prison colony where he was serving his sentence.

The service said in a statement that Navalny lost consciousness after a walk in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, where the colony is located.

Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after a hospital stay in Germany, where he was being treated for poisoning. Western countries and Navalny himself blamed Russia for the poisoning, a claim the Kremlin denies.​​​​​​​

In August, he was handed a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism, and other crimes. He was already serving an 11.5-year sentence on fraud charges.

• Alexei Navalny
• Investigation
• Russia
• UN