European leaders have paid tribute to Alexey Navalny and criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin following reports of the jailed Russian opposition leader’s death on Friday.
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply disturbed and saddened” by news of the death of Navalny.
“Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people,” she said on X, formerly Twitter. “A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about. Let’s unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy.”
President of the European Council Charles Michel wrote in a post on X: “Alexey Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For the sake of his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“Fighters die. But the fight for freedom never ends,” he said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny “paid for his courage with his life.”
Scholz said that he was ”very sad” about reports of Navalny’s death, adding it was ”a terrible sign” of how Russia had changed in recent years.
British Foreign Secretary and Former Prime Minister David Cameron wrote in a post on X that “Putin should be accountable for what has happened – no one should doubt the dreadful nature of his regime.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was “very shocked” by the reports, adding that it “shows the unprecedented brutality of the Russian regime.”
Sumber: www.cnn.com
