Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Reportedly Dies in Prison
2024-02-17
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - a sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin - has reportedly died in a far-northern prison at the age of 47.
2Russia's prison agency said Navalny collapsed and died Friday after taking a walk at a prison known as the "Polar Wolf."
3The prison colony is in the settlement of Kharp, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, in Russia's Arctic area.
4Prison officials said Navalny fell unconscious almost immediately and was treated by medical workers who attempted to restart his breathing.
5But they said those efforts were unsuccessful and Navalny died shortly afterwards.
6A Russian government spokesman said President Putin had been informed of the death.
7Navalny's wife, Yulia, said she could not be sure her husband was dead because "Putin and his government...lie incessantly."
8Navalny's reported death comes as Putin prepares for an election that could keep him in power until at least 2030.
9For the past 10 years, Navalny has spoken out publicly and presented evidence of what he described as widespread government corruption.
10He also organized major anti-government protests and ran for public office.
11Navalny had been jailed since January 2021.
12That is when he returned to Moscow after a stay in Germany.
13He had been recovering there from a poisoning incident he blamed on Russia's government.
14Since then, he has received three prison sentences.
15Navalny has denounced them all as political.
16Western leaders and others who have opposed Putin's rule praised Navalny.
17The opposition leader's health had worsened recently.
18The true cause of death might never be known.
19Some world leaders said they hold Russian officials responsible.
20U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, if confirmed, Navalny's death "underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this."
21Blinken was speaking while attending a security conference in Germany.
22German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters at the same conference that Navalny "has probably now paid for this courage with his life."
23Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - standing by Scholz's side - said, "Putin doesn't care who dies in order for him to hold onto his position."
24Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov told Reuters news agency he considers Navalny's death "murder" because prison conditions caused his death.
25Muratov runs a pro-democracy newspaper.
26He shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in support of freedom of expression in Russia.
27Yulia Navalny said, if her husband is in fact dead, Putin, and those around him "will be punished for what they have done to our country, for what they have done to my family, for what they have done to my husband."
28I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny - a sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin - has reportedly died in a far-northern prison at the age of 47. 2Russia's prison agency said Navalny collapsed and died Friday after taking a walk at a prison known as the "Polar Wolf." The prison colony is in the settlement of Kharp, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, in Russia's Arctic area. 3Prison officials said Navalny fell unconscious almost immediately and was treated by medical workers who attempted to restart his breathing. But they said those efforts were unsuccessful and Navalny died shortly afterwards. 4A Russian government spokesman said President Putin had been informed of the death. Navalny's wife, Yulia, said she could not be sure her husband was dead because "Putin and his government...lie incessantly." 5Navalny's reported death comes as Putin prepares for an election that could keep him in power until at least 2030. 6For the past 10 years, Navalny has spoken out publicly and presented evidence of what he described as widespread government corruption. He also organized major anti-government protests and ran for public office. 7Navalny had been jailed since January 2021. That is when he returned to Moscow after a stay in Germany. He had been recovering there from a poisoning incident he blamed on Russia's government. Since then, he has received three prison sentences. Navalny has denounced them all as political. 8Western leaders and others who have opposed Putin's rule praised Navalny. The opposition leader's health had worsened recently. The true cause of death might never be known. Some world leaders said they hold Russian officials responsible. 9U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, if confirmed, Navalny's death "underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this." Blinken was speaking while attending a security conference in Germany. 10German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters at the same conference that Navalny "has probably now paid for this courage with his life." 11Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - standing by Scholz's side - said, "Putin doesn't care who dies in order for him to hold onto his position." 12Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov told Reuters news agency he considers Navalny's death "murder" because prison conditions caused his death. Muratov runs a pro-democracy newspaper. He shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in support of freedom of expression in Russia. 13Yulia Navalny said, if her husband is in fact dead, Putin, and those around him "will be punished for what they have done to our country, for what they have done to my family, for what they have done to my husband." 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 16_____________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18unconscious - adj. having lost consciousness: full mental capacity 19incessant - adj. continuous, especially in a way that is annoying or unpleasant 20underscore - v. to emphasize the importance of something 21rot - n. decay of something 22courage - n. the ability to control your fear in dangerous or difficult situations