The bureau of Liberal International is shocked to learn that Alexei Navalny, another dissident of the regime of Vladimir Putin, has died at a penal colony outside of the Arctic Circle.

Facing 30 years of a politically-motivated prison sentence, Navalny was one of the most persistent critics of Vladimir Putin. His unwavering fight for transparency, democracy, human rights, and fight against state corruption earned him respect from the global community. Such was the influence of Mr. Navalny that he was able to shake the foundations of Putin’s dictatorial regime even from his prison cell.

We echo the concerns of Liberal International Prize for Freedom laureate, Dr Grigory Yavlinsky, that as an opponent of the regime Navalny ended up in a colony mainly for his political activities. The conditions of his detention are nothing but torture, hypocritically and cruelly committed by the authorities who stop at nothing to suppress their opponents. In the totalitarian Russia that Vladimir Putin has reinforced, we are deeply concerned about the safety of other political prisoners including our 2023 Prize for Freedom laureate, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who also has been the victim of poisoning and whose health is in danger because of the detention conditions. We reiterate our demands for the immediate release of all political prisoners and the end of the persecution of dissidents.

Like so many other liberal-democrats who have fought to be free from an authoritarian Russia, Navalny’s blood is on Putin’s hands.

At this time we offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and supporters of Alexei Navalny.