“We all saw reports of Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian prison today. This death is further evidence that human life means nothing to dictators. The Putin regime, like the Lukashenka regime, seeks to maintain power by getting rid of opponents by any means necessary.
In Belarus right now, dozens of political prisoners are kept incommunicado – the lives of Mikalai Statkevich, Maryia Kalesnikava, my husband Siarhei, and others are now under direct threat. Vitold Ashurak, Vadzim Khrasko, Ales Pushkin, and Mikalai Klimovich have already died in detention. And hundreds of others are still held in inhumane conditions without any assistance.
Alexei, like many Belarusian political prisoners, was repeatedly sent to solitary confinement. In February, the prison administration sent him there for the 27th time. We all saw in pictures how those conditions affected his health. That is why I have no doubt that Navalny was deliberately killed by the Putin regime.
I know well how everyone whose loved ones are in prison feels upon hearing this news. Yulia Navalnaya and their children heard the most terrible news today, which we fear hearing about thousands of our loved ones. I express my sincere condolences to the family, relatives, and colleagues of Alexei Navalny. My heart is with you today”.
