The death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn stark condemnation from Canadian politicians of all stripes. Navalny died at the age of 47, while serving a prison sentence in the Arctic Circle.
“The death of Alexei Navalny has us all reeling,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told CBC News during an interview in Winnipeg on Friday. “It’s something that has the entire world being reminded of exactly what a monster Putin is.”
The prime minister went on to say that Navalny’s death only strengthens Canada’s resolve to take a stand against Putin’s abuse of international laws and human rights.
“There is no question that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin, he stood up to the Kremlin. He stood for freedom and democracy and the right of the Russian people to choose their future, and that was something that Putin was deeply afraid of, as he should be,” said Trudeau.
Trudeau sent his condolences to the family of Navalny and his supporters.
“To be clear: He should never have been imprisoned to begin with. Let this be an important reminder that we must continue to promote, protect and defend democracy everywhere. The consequences of not doing so are stark,” wrote Trudeau on X.
Navalny was arrested by Russian authorities immediately upon returning home to Moscow in 2021, after spending five months in Germany to recover from nerve agent poisoning.
Russian authorities accused and later convicted him of charges of extremism, fraud and embezzlement.
His death was announced by the Federal Penitentiary Service, where he was serving his sentence in the Yamalo-Nenets region.
Navalny was said to have “felt unwell” following a walk and “almost immediately lost consciousness.”
By the time medical staff came to aid Navalny, they were unable to revive him.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the Russian President on social media, writing, “Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died in prison. Putin imprisoned Navalny for the act of opposing the regime. Conservatives condemn Putin for his death.”
Conservative Foreign Affairs Critic Michael Chong also commented on Navalny’s death, saying “Conservatives condemn Putin and the Russian Federation for his death. This is not the hallmark of a great power but of a pariah state.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expressed his sadness about the news in a social media post, writing, “Navalny’s important work exposed corruption by Putin’s oligarchs and he was killed for it. My thoughts are with his loved ones and with all political prisoners targeted by Putin.”
Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, laid the blame of Navalny’s death at the feet of Putin.
“Putin murdered Navalny just as surely as if he’d strangled him with his bare hands,” wrote Rae on X.
Canadian documentary film director Danial Roher directed an Oscar-winning documentary on the opposition leader called Navalny in 2022.
Navalny issued a potential final message of hope to his supporters at the end of the documentary.
“You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong,” said Navalny in Russian.
“We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive.”
