NATO Secretary General ‘Saddened And Concerned’ By Reports Of Alexei Navalny’s Death

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday (16 February 2024) said he was “deeply saddened and concerned” by reports about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Stoltenberg said that Navalny has been a strong voice for freedom, for democracy for many years, and NATO and NATO Allies have called for his immediate release for a long time. 

“All the facts have to be established and Russia has serious questions to answer”, Mr Stoltenberg said arriving at the Munich Security Conference. “We remain committed to support everyone that believes in democracy and freedom as Alexei Navalny has done for so many years.”

“We don’t have any information now. That’s the reason why it is important to have all facts established, and why Russia has some very serious questions to answer,” Stoltenber said, adding, “What we have seen is that Russia has become a more and more authoritarian power, that they have used oppression against opposition for many years. And of course, he was in jail, he was a prisoner. And that makes it extremely important that Russia now answer all the questions that will be asked about the cause of the death.”