Several countries, including Latvia, are once again calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, BNN reports, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, five European countries stated that Navalny, who died in custody in 2024, had been poisoned with a lethal and rare toxin, placing responsibility on the Russian state.
The foreign ministries of France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden said that analyses of samples from Navalny, who died two years ago, “clearly confirm the presence of epibatidine.”
Epibatidine is a toxin naturally found in certain South American poison dart frogs.
The joint statement stressed that “only the Russian state had both the means and the motive, as well as the willingness to disregard international law, to carry out such an attack.”
Marking the second anniversary of Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony, the countries expressed their condolences to his family and emphasized the responsibility of the Russian authorities. Referring to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, the statement noted that Russia was responsible for inhuman and degrading treatment of Navalny in detention and for failing to respond adequately to his complaints.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the countries also expressed serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia, including repression against human rights defenders, journalists, and representatives of civil society. The statement noted that more than 1,700 people have been detained in Russia for political reasons, including Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russian custody.
The statement emphasized that Russia’s internal repression is closely linked to its aggression abroad and once again called on Russia to fulfill its international obligations and release political prisoners.
The joint statement was signed by the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, New Zealand, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Finland, Germany, and Sweden.
BNN previously reported that Navalny died in February 2023 in an Arctic prison, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for leading what authorities labeled an “extremist” organization. Supporters of the opposition figure believe he was killed and blame dictator Vladimir Putin for his death.
A court sentenced his lawyers — Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin — to prison terms ranging from three and a half to five years. They were detained in October 2023 and charged with “extremism.”
Following Navalny’s death, Russian authorities intensified their campaign against the Kremlin critic’s supporters, associates, and family members. Journalists covering his court hearings were detained, and his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has been placed on the official list of “terrorists and extremists.”
European countries reveal: rare toxin found in Navalny’s death
