Navalny director says there is only one 'culprit' for politicians death

The director of an award-winning documentary about Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has blamed Vladimir Putin for his death.

Daniel Roher, who directed Navalny, told the Washington Post: “It’s the most obvious story: of course they murdered him.”

“The fashion in which they did it is so brazen and so overt. It is almost as if they had rented out a billboard to say to anyone else who thinks about being in the opposition, ‘This is what’s going to happen to you.’”

The documentary was released in 2022 and revolves around the politician’s poisoning in 2020, which Navalny repeatedly said was carried out by the Russian government.

Last week, the Russian prison service said Navalny had died, sparking outrage around the world as leaders pointed the finger at the Russian government.

Navalny’s allies believe he was murdered on the orders of Putin. Prison authorities say he suffered “sudden death syndrome”.

Roher pointed to messages Navalny send out in the days before his death, including a heartfelt message to his wife for Valentine’s Day and his appearance by video in court.

Roher said: “He was jovial and he was sarcastic and being his typical shit-stirring self, making the prison guards laugh.”

“The man’s humanity was clearly intact. His health was vital,” Roher continued. “So for him to just drop dead, seemingly overnight, the culprit is Putin. That is clear.

“The technical point of how they did it and who did it, we will know that in time. But today I’m just mourning.”

Navalny died in an Arctic prison in one of Russia’s northernmost regions, while serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. Both Navalny and US officials said the charges were politically motivated.

“Reports of his death, if they’re true, and I have no reason to believe they’re not — Russian authorities are going to tell their own story,” president Joe Biden said Friday.

“But make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible. What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled.”

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