Russian police arrested 366 people
Following the death of a prominent Russian government opponent, Alexei Navalny, in prison, more than 300 of his supporters were detained in 39 cities across the country.
Western media, citing a human rights group in Russia, reported that 366 grieving supporters of Alexei Navalny were arrested. Navalny was sentenced in 2021 for financial support and inciting extremism in Russia and was imprisoned. The Associated Press, referencing OVD-Info, published a report about the arrest of Navalny’s supporters in Russia. He passed away in prison on Friday, February 16th. This Russian human rights group stated that police arrested 366 people in 39 cities by Sunday evening, but the number of arrests may change in the coming days as information is still being reviewed.
According to the Federal Prison Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Administrative District, the 47-year-old Navalny felt ill while walking in prison and almost immediately lost consciousness. Efforts by doctors to save him were unsuccessful. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected Western accusations against the Russian government regarding Navalny’s death and emphasized that the Federal Prison Service is conducting investigations and that doctors must determine the cause of the incident.
Dozens of Russian government opponents protested Navalny’s death in front of the Moscow embassy in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It is reported that over 200 people were arrested in Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, and the city’s judicial authorities issued prison sentences ranging from one to 14 days for 154 individuals.