Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say (www.theguardian.com)
from MicroWave@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 14 Feb 23:56
https://lemmy.world/post/43147300

Intelligence agencies say deadly toxin in skin of Ecuador dart frogs found in Navalny’s body and highly likely resulted in his death

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was killed by dart frog poison administered by the Russian state two years ago, a multi-intelligence agency inquiry has found, according to a statement released by five countries, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The US was not one of the intelligence agencies making the claim.

Navalny died in a remote Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Samples from his body were secured before his burial and sent to the laboratories of two countries.

The UK, describing the poisoning as barbaric, said it would be reporting Russia to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as a flagrant violation by Russia of the chemical weapons convention (CWC).

#world

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venusaur@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 00:57 next collapse

Wow. I’m surprised they didn’t just starve and beat him to death.

ms_lane@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 02:06 collapse

I wonder if the guards were somewhat friendly with Navalny and/or aligned with his cause?

It takes most of the guards liking him enough for him not to be beaten, but it only takes one guard who hated him to poison him.

venusaur@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 05:44 next collapse

Or somebody just following orders

ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 14:56 collapse

Guards in Russia don’t have access to South American poison dart frogs and more than you do. His murder was not the decision of a guard.

tomiant@piefed.social on 15 Feb 01:57 next collapse

Bruh… Russia has been carrying out terrorist attacks on EU soil for decades. Who gives a shit how they do it? They should be universally condemned and we should have never fucking relied on them for energy imports to begin with, but MONEY WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU so go FUCK yourselves with your reporting, Russia is the god damned enemy and needs to be destroyed, take your impotent whining back to your gated communities and keep jerking off billionaire cocks, none of it matters, the only change will come from the people.

GOD I’m tired of this.

leriotdelac@lemmy.zip on 15 Feb 06:16 next collapse

I’m not sure if you know the context: that murder was carried out inside a Russian jail, and the killed one was a Russian opposition leader. It was not an attack on EU soil.

sukhmel@programming.dev on 15 Feb 10:24 collapse

I read it more like Europe does nothing when they kill people in Europe, so this also shouldn’t be big news

leriotdelac@lemmy.zip on 15 Feb 10:37 next collapse

It is not big news for most European news consumers. It’s documented proofs by independent laboratories that Navalny was killed in prison. It was obvious before, but now there is a tangible evidence.

For some people, it does matter. For people like me, who hold Russian citizenship, it’s one more in the long and documented list of murders by Putin and his cronies. I am not sure if anything like Nuremberg process would ever be carried out against the criminals, but it doesn’t mean that their deeds should be ignored or not documented. It’s a murder, and should be treated as such.

Dismissing the criminal deeds as not important because “they all are just evil and who cares” is not right. They are evil, but there are people who do care. No harm in this research.

It’s an important political murder with clear and documented traces.

Edit:typos…

sukhmel@programming.dev on 15 Feb 14:22 collapse

No harm, definitely, and I’m a hundred percent with you in the hope for a prosecution, even if the chances look very grim for that to happen.

Documenting crimes is indeed useful, at least for history

AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works on 15 Feb 11:57 collapse

It’s always newsworthy when Putin goes to such extreme lengths to try and hide his crimes, but especially in the case of an opposition figure like Navalny.

•This was Putin’s second attempt at poisoning/assassinating him. He miraculously and very publicly survived the first attempt.

•Putin refused to release his body for an extended period of time. Navalny’s widow believed Putin was hoping that by delaying the release, it would allow the toxin to degrade and make it impossible to prove he was poisoned. It looks like he was correct.

•Putin’s intimidation tactics made it difficult for Navalny’s friends and family to even find a venue willing to host his memorial, but despite the threat, huge numbers of people in Russia risked their own safety and freedom to show their support

They don’t care about the optics’: in Navalny’s funeral, echoes of dissidents past This article is more than 1 year old The official response to the deaths of opposition figures is a sure guide to the state of repression and freedom in Russia

Supporters chant ‘We are not afraid’ as Russia’s Navalny is laid to rest

<img alt="" src="https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/5f56ee81-b048-4273-b663-da8f42ebbf34.jpeg"><img alt="" src="https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/a6dbcd01-50ff-4c4f-850b-b4fc97293160.jpeg">

Even when your authoritarian leader lies and murders, and you know he lies and murders, it’s important to have evidence from the outside confirming what you already knew. It’s especially important to remind people rebelling against that leadership, that people outside are paying attention and supporting their rebellion.

This is also why it’s worth noting (although not surprising) that Trump has not joined in with the countries making the accusation against his beloved boyfriend. It’s important people rebelling against Trump’s leadership know the truth as well, because:

•It draws attention to and raises questions once again, about his loyalties to allies. Especially given the UK joined EU countries. People in the UK should be fucking pissed at Trump

•People in the U.S. should not only be pissed, they should understand that if Trump is not willing to condemn these actions, he’s essentially condoning them, which also means that he’s not above escalating to using similar tactics against critics of his own leadership.

•The whole world should be pissed, and the whole world should be watching the men who feel entitled to lie, cheat, and steal what is not theirs to take. They show their own cowardice and weakness when they murder people like Kashoggi and Navalny, who’s only “crime” was using their voices and minds as a weapon against tyranny.

x00z@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 11:19 collapse

Assassinations are not really terrorism.

dickalan@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 12:36 collapse

yeah if I assassinate your president and that’s not terrorism, what crack are you smoking holy fuck

x00z@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 12:56 collapse

Terrorism are acts of violence purely to spread terror.

People are throwing the definition around way too much.

sukhmel@programming.dev on 15 Feb 14:27 collapse

When you go lengths just to kill someone who pissed you off when they don’t pose any threat, it’s either to have the last word, or to incite fear in those who think of opposing you. Assassinating a president is one thing, assassinating someone like a defector pilot is different. And I find Navalny being killed while imprisoned to be more akin to the latter than the former

leriotdelac@lemmy.zip on 15 Feb 06:21 next collapse

I’m a Russian. The day I learned of Navalny’s death I cried so hard. He was an incredibly brave and optimistic man, and Putin was scared of him for a good reason.

D_C@sh.itjust.works on 15 Feb 09:56 next collapse

The correct title:
Putin ordered the murder of Alexei Navalny with frog toxin because he’s a thin skinned toddler.

Akasazh@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 11:33 next collapse

It was a very brave act of Navalny ging back to Russia after the attempt on his life.

It was also very foolish, because he knew he risked being killed.

The man had great courage. Watching the documentary on his life teared me up. It saddens me greatly that his martyrdom seems to be in vain.

how_we_burned@lemmy.zip on 15 Feb 12:24 next collapse

Shame he was a racist and nationalist who was happy to support the invasion of Ukraine

[deleted] on 15 Feb 12:34 next collapse
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Frozentea725@feddit.uk on 15 Feb 14:08 next collapse

Don’t know why your getting down voted, your correct

boonhet@sopuli.xyz on 15 Feb 14:38 next collapse

Yeah the only really good thing about him was that he opposed Putin lol

Akasazh@lemmy.world on 15 Feb 14:52 collapse

It’s a bit of ‘the enemy of my enemy’ kind of deal.

Taking on Putin is very brave. Doesn’t make him a good man per se.

AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works on 15 Feb 15:26 collapse

It’s only in vain if we let it be.

The entire point of silencing dissidents like Kashoggi and Nalvalny is because the authoritarian strong men who murdered them fear that if people aren’t intimidated into silence, they will rise up together and destroy their tenuous grip on power.

Have you honestly ever thought about how fucking pathetic it is that so called “leaders” of countries, who control entire armies and hold the power of nuclear weapons, can be so intimidated by the words of individuals they see them as a threat that has to be annihilated.

No matter which leader or government it is that murders its own citizens for the crime of criticism and free speech, the pathetic behavior always reminds me of the execution of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany.

myfunnyaccountname@lemmy.zip on 15 Feb 14:58 next collapse

Ok. Now what? What will actually happen or change because of this?

dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works on 15 Feb 15:11 collapse

And I’m sitting here wondering how I never heard he died in the first place. Before a few minutes ago I would have said he’s still serving time in Siberia.