United Kingdom Freezes Assets of Russian Prison Bosses after Alexei Navalny’s Death
Published: February 21, 2024, 11:50 GMT
Updated: 46 minutes ago
The UK has taken a strong stand against Russia by freezing the assets of six Russian prison bosses responsible for the Arctic penal colony where opposition leader Alexei Navalny died. This action is in response to widespread allegations that the blame for Navalny’s death lies with the Russian authorities, including President Putin.
The sanctioned individuals will also be banned from travelling to the UK, making them the first to face such sanctions in relation to Navalny’s death. Western leaders have condemned Navalny’s treatment and have called for a transparent investigation into his death.
The US has also announced that it will be imposing its own package of sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death and the ongoing war in Ukraine on Friday.
The British government has demanded the immediate release of Navalny’s body to his family and has called for a full and transparent investigation. The individuals sanctioned by the UK include Col Vadim Konstantinovich Kalinin, head of the penal colony, and Lt Col Sergey Nikolaevich Korzhov, deputy head, among others.
Lord Cameron, the UK Foreign Secretary, has made it clear that the Russian authorities repeatedly tried to silence Navalny. He emphasized the oppressive nature of the Russian system and vowed to hold those responsible for Navalny’s treatment accountable.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the UK and its allies were considering all options to hold Russia and Putin to account. This sentiment was echoed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who called Navalny’s death a reminder of the theft of the Russian people’s future and democracy by Putin.
Navalny was a significant leader in the Russian opposition for the past decade and had been serving a 19-year sentence on politically motivated charges. His death at the IK-3 Arctic penal colony has sparked international outrage and allegations that he was murdered on the orders of President Putin.
His family has been informed that his body will not be released for two weeks and there have been allegations of it being held for chemical analysis. Efforts to locate the body have been repeatedly thwarted by Russian authorities, while Navalny’s wife has alleged that it is being kept until traces of poisoning by the nerve agent Novichok have disappeared.
The historic background of this topic includes Navalny’s survival of an attempt to kill him using Novichok in 2020. Mr. Putin has not directly commented on his death, but the Kremlin has acknowledged his death and stated that the Russian president was aware.
The UK’s stance against the Russian prison bosses and the call for accountability for Navalny’s death represents a significant development in the international response to his tragic passing. As the world continues to grapple with the fallout from Navalny’s death, the implications of this event are likely to reverberate on the global stage for the foreseeable future.