French media: Two years after Navalny's death, his mother demands justice for her "poisoned" son, Kremlin dismisses accusations from France, Germany and other European countries
According to rfi, on February 16, 2024, Alexei Navalny was found dead in a prison in northern Russia, where he was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism. The cause of his death remains in question. This charismatic anti-corruption activist and leader of the Russian opposition was arrested upon his return to Russia in January 2021. Two years later, his mother is demanding "justice" for her "poisoned" son.
On Monday, Alexei Navalny's mother, an opposition figure in Russia, demanded justice for her son on the second anniversary of his death. Previously, investigations by five European countries indicated that Navalny was "poisoned" with a rare toxin. She told reporters, including AFP, at the cemetery in Moscow: "This confirms what we knew from the beginning. We knew our son did not simply die in prison; he was murdered."
She added: "Two years have passed, and we now know what killed him. I think it takes some time, but in the end, we will find out who did it." "Of course, we hope this will happen in our country, and justice will be done."
She also emphasized: "I have said before, the person who gave the order is known worldwide; I just repeat it again. We hope all those involved will be exposed."
“Poisoned by a Rare Toxin”
On Saturday, February 14, Britain, France and four other countries accused Moscow of poisoning Navalny with a "rare toxin". In a joint statement, the five countries stated: "Britain, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands are certain that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a deadly toxin."
The UK Foreign Office explained that "ongoing collaborative investigations through laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of a deadly toxin from the skin of an Ecuadorian poison dart frog - epibatidine - in samples taken from Alexei Navalny's body." They added that this toxin "probably caused his death."
Kremlin Calls Accusations "Unfounded"
On Monday, the Kremlin dismissed the accusations by the five European countries, calling them "unfounded." Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, told media including AFP during a daily press briefing: "Of course, we do not accept these accusations. We disagree with this statement. We believe these accusations are biased and unfounded."
At the same time, dozens of people gathered at Navalny's tomb in Moscow to mourn this charismatic anti-corruption activist, who was a staunch opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857291973154947/
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