Russians Allegedly Persecuting Navalny’s Widow

(ConserativeSense.com) – Russian authorities have added Alexei Navalny’s widow to a wanted list, accusing her of extremism. A court issued an arrest warrant for Yulia Navalnaya at the request of investigators seeking a detention order of two months as a “preventative” measure. Navalnaya’s husband was a prominent political opponent of Vladimir Putin and died in an Arctic prison earlier this year. His wife vowed to continue his work.

Mr. Navalny’s former chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said the warrant was issued because authorities believe Ms. Navalnaya is a member of “an extremist community,” specifically groups considered “terrorist organizations” by the Russian state.

Navalnaya openly criticizes the Russian government and has described President Putin as a “criminal” and a “killer.” In February, she spoke to world leaders at a security conference in Munich immediately after learning of her husband’s death. She made an unscripted and unexpected speech urging the world to bring Putin to justice. Observers said it was a highly emotional and powerful address and praised Navalnaya’s courage. Portuguese foreign minister João Cravinho said it was a “deeply touching moment.”

More recently, on July 1, Navalnaya announced her new job as chair of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and said she would use the role to continue her husband’s work and challenge Vladimir Putin’s government. HRF campaigns against authoritarian leaders and provides humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

Writing on social media, Ms. Navalnaya said the experience and knowledge she gained with Mr. Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation would allow her to conduct high-profile investigations and improve activist organization. “We will take on board everything that can be useful to fight Putin, to fight for the beautiful Russia of the future,” she said.

Russian authorities arrested Alexei Navalny in January 2021 when he returned to his home country from Germany. He was jailed for 19 years on “extremism” charges and died in February under what human rights groups describe as suspicious circumstances. Prison officials said he lost consciousness, and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

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