Navalny's death. Mattarella: memory goes to the darkest times in history. EU summits: slowly murdered

The United Nations today said it was "outraged" by the news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died in prison and urged the Russian authorities to ensure that a "credible" investigation into his death was conducted. "If someone dies in state custody, there is an assumption of responsibility on the part of the state, a responsibility that can only be refuted through an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation conducted by an independent body," said UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Liz Throssel in a statement released in Geneva

'If the news is confirmed, this is a terrible tragedy'. This is according to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speaking on National Public Radio and commenting on the news of the death in custody of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny. President Biden speaks at 6pm.

'Deeply disturbed and saddened by the news of Alexei Navalny's death. Putin fears nothing but dissent from his own people. A sad reminder of what Putin and his regime stand for. Let us unite in our struggle to safeguard the freedom and security of those who dare to oppose autocracy'. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen writes this on X.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attacked Vladimir Putin, calling him a 'monster' while commenting on the news of the death of Russian opponent Alexei Navlany. This was reported by the Canadian media.

"The death of Alexei Navalny, during his detention, is another sad page that admonishes the international community. We express our heartfelt condolences and hope that full clarity will be shed on this disturbing event'. This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

"The Government will always stand by those who fight for democracy, freedom of thought and the inalienable rights of every human being. I am very shocked by the death of Alexey Navalny after years of persecution in prison, we embrace his family and the Russian people". Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote this on X.

"Navalny was killed" and Putin will have to "account for his crimes". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference in Berlin.

Speaking in Munich, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: 'First of all, our hearts go out to his wife and family. Beyond that, Navalny's death in a Russian prison only underlines the weakness and rot at the heart of the system Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this'.

"Of course we have to establish the facts and Russia will have to answer all questions, serious questions, about the causes," Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. "I am very sad and concerned about this news. Navalny has been a strong voice for democracy and Nato has repeatedly called for his immediate release. Today my thoughts are with his family and loved ones," Stoltenberg further said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had met Navalny in Berlin after the attack and described him as a very brave man. Now "he has probably paid for this courage with his life" and it is a "terrible" sign of what Russia is, which "has not been a democracy for a long time" as it is a "regime", Scholz said. The chancellor spoke in Berlin at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Scholz said he was very saddened by the news.

The death of Alexei Navalny is a 'huge tragedy' for the Russian people. This was stated by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on his X profile. "This is terrible news. As the staunchest supporter of Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny showed incredible courage throughout his life,' added the prime minister whose thoughts are with the opponent's wife and the Russian people.

'In today's Russia, you put free spirits in the gulag and condemn them to death. Anger and indignation': Thus on X by Emmanuel Macron after the death of Alexei Navalny. The French president 'pays tribute to the memory' of the Russian opponent, 'to his commitment, his courage', expressing solidarity with his 'family, friends and the Russian people'.

'I am very shocked by the news of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which shows the unprecedented brutality of the Russian regime'. Thus on social X the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. "Navalny stood up for democratic values and against corruption and paid for his struggle with death while detained in inhuman conditions," he added.

"Whatever your opinion of Alexey Navalny as a politician, he has just been brutally murdered by the Kremlin. This is a fact and something you should know about the true nature of the current Russian regime. My condolences to his family and friends'. This is how Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics commented on social media on the death of the imprisoned Russian opponent.

- Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in prison, 'paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression', French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said. "His death in a prison colony," Séjourné wrote in X, "reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin's regime. To his family, his friends and the Russian people, France expresses its condolences."

"The world has lost a fighter whose courage will be remembered for generations. I am horrified by the death of Sakharov Prize winner Alexei Navalny". So says the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, via social media. "Russia," she continued, "took away his freedom and life, but not his dignity. His fight for democracy lives on. Our thoughts are with his wife and children."

"Like no other, Alexei Navalny was the symbol of a free and democratic Russia. That is precisely why he had to die. My thoughts are with his wife and children'. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote this on X, commenting on the rumours about the death in prison of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny.

"The news of Alexei Navalny's death fills me with great dismay. He has become a victim of the repressive power of the Russian state'. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Bild. "It is dreadful that with him a courageous and fearless voice who fought for his country was silenced by terrible methods. My thoughts are with his wife, his children, his friends and his colleagues," Merkel said.

Should dissident Alexei Navalny die in prison, 'I made it clear that the consequences would be devastating for Russia'. This was the warning that US President Joe Biden issued in June 2021 to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at the end of a bilateral meeting in Geneva. "I made it clear to President Putin that we will continue to raise the issue of basic human rights," Biden told the media at the end of the face-to-face meeting that lasted just over an hour and a half. In the conference after the summit, Putin had referred to Navalny without deliberately mentioning his name, stressing that 'the citizen deliberately broke the law'. "He left the country to get treatment, and as soon as he left the hospital, he violated the law by not showing himself to the authorities as was required as part of his legal proceedings, this press conference does not allow us to go into details," he pointed out, stressing that Russia "only follows Russian law" and not the demands of other countries.