The G7 countries called on the Russian Federation to clarify the circumstances of Navalny’s death

The foreign ministers of the countries of the Group of Seven largest industrially developed democracies of the world (G7) called on the authorities of Russia to fully explain the circumstances of the death of the oppositionist Alexei Navalny in the colony. This is stated in the statement adopted following the meeting of the heads of the foreign policy departments of the USA, Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada. It took place on Saturday in Munich, where an international security conference is taking place these days.

The meeting, as reported by Italy, which chairs the G7, began with a minute of silence in memory of Navalny. “For his ideas and the fight for freedom and against corruption in Russia, Navalny was actually put to death,” said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. In addition to revealing the circumstances of Navalny’s death, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded the release of political prisoners in Russia.

Russian authorities reported on the sudden death of Navalny in the colony on February 16. Then the leaders of Western countries and other Western politicians commented on the messages. Many of them, in addition to expressing condolences, also placed responsibility for the death of the oppositionist on the Russian authorities and President Vladimir Putin himself, emphasizing that Navalny was first poisoned allegedly on the orders of the Russian authorities, and then, after returning to Russia, was thrown behind bars for his opposition activities.

The leaders of the USA, Great Britain and the EU countries did not rule out new sanctions against Russia in connection with the death of Navalny, however, in particular, US President Joe Biden noted that in recent years, unprecedented sanctions were imposed against Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine.

Representatives of the Russian authorities the day before accused Western leaders of using Navalny’s death to attack Russia, noting that it is too early to draw conclusions about the causes of death.

On Saturday, Navalny’s mother and lawyers reportedly refused to hand over the body of the deceased and even let them know where it was. The Investigative Committee reportedly stated that the body will not be released until the investigation is completed. The cause of death was not officially announced; in an unofficial conversation, the colony staff told Navalny’s mother that he had been diagnosed with “sudden death syndrome,” the politician’s associates claim. They call Navalny’s death a mass murder, regardless of whether the oppositionist was directly killed in the colony, or whether his death was a consequence of the torturous conditions in which he was kept, or the consequences of poisoning suffered in 2020.