US President Joe Biden squarely pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin for the reported death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison, expressing his outrage over the situation.
In a strong statement, Biden stated, "Make no mistake – Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin's brutality. No one should be fooled".
The US does not yet know "exactly what happened" to Navalny, Biden added.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris, echoing similar sentiments, attributed responsibility to the Kremlin for Navalny's reported death during her speech in Munich. She asserted Russia's culpability, regardless of the narrative they present, as tributes poured in from US lawmakers, BBC reported.
Navalny, a significant opposition figure in Russia, reportedly died in an Arctic Circle jail, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on widely criticized politically motivated charges. For the past decade, Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been at the forefront of domestic opposition against President Vladimir Putin.
According to Russia's prison service, Navalny "felt unwell" during a walk at the facility in the Yamalo-Nenets district, losing consciousness almost immediately. Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, labeled Navalny's death as "murder," linking it to the conditions within the prison.
Alexei Navalny, a vocal critic of Putin, faced an additional 19-year prison sentence last August on extremism charges. His imprisonment started in January 2021, following his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning he attributed to the Kremlin.
Navalny, who campaigned against corruption, organized anti-Kremlin protests, and had become untraceable in December 2021 from a prison in the Vladimir region, alleging political revenge by the ruling party. He maintained that his release was unlikely as long as Putin remained in power.